EMTome: a resource for pan-cancer analysis of epithelial-mesenchymal transition genes and signatures

BACKGROUND: The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) enables dissociation of tumour cells from the primary tumour mass, invasion through the extracellular matrix, intravasation into blood vessels and colonisation of distant organs. Cells that revert to the epithelial state via the mesenchymal-epithelial transition cause metastases, the primary cause of death in cancer patients. EMT also empowers cancer cells with stem-cell properties and induces resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Understanding the driving factors of EMT is critical for the development of effective therapeutic interventions. METHODS: This manuscript describes the generation of a database containing EMT gene signatures derived from cell lines, patient-derived xenografts and patient studies across cancer types and multiomics data and the creation of a web-based portal to provide a comprehensive analysis resource. RESULTS: EMTome incorporates (i) EMT gene signatures; (ii) EMT-related genes with multiomics features across different cancer types; (iii) interactomes of EMT-related genes (miRNAs, transcription factors, and proteins); (iv) immune profiles identified from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohorts by exploring transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics, and drug sensitivity and (iv) clinical outcomes of cancer cohorts linked to EMT gene signatures. CONCLUSION: The web-based EMTome portal is a resource for primary and metastatic tumour research publicly available at www.emtome.org.