Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a complex cellular and molecular program during which epithelial cells lose their differentiated characteristics including cell-cell adhesion, planar and apical-basal polarity and lack of motility, and acquire instead mesenchymal features, including motility and invasiveness. EMT occurs in an orchestrated fashion with one of its earliest events involving the disruption of tight junctions that connect epithelial cells. Adherens junction complexes, which contain E-cadherin and β-catenin are also disrupted along with a reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. EMT is observed in: 1)embryonic implantation and gastrulation and neural crest cell motility 2) wound healing, tissue-regeneration, inflammation and fibrosis 3) the conversion of differentiated epithelial cancer cells into migratory mesenchymal cancer cells which may lead to cancer invasion, systemic cancer cell dissemination and metastasis. EMT is a widely studied phenomenon...