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Fig. 7 | Cancer Cell International

Fig. 7

From: Extracellular and macropinocytosis internalized ATP work together to induce epithelial–mesenchymal transition and other early metastatic activities in lung cancer

Fig. 7

A hypothetical model for extracellular ATP-induced EMT, cell migration, and invasion. Extracellular ATP, as a messenger, binds and activates purinergic signaling via P2X7. P2X7 mediated signaling leads to EMT induction through upregulation of mesenchymal markers and downregulation of epithelial markers via enhanced transcription factors Snail and Slug and possibly others. eATP is also internalized primarily by macropinocytosis to significantly elevate intracellular ATP levels and further induce EMT. eATP, as a messenger or an energy molecule, also directly and indirectly accelerates cell detachment, migration, and invasion

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