Interplay between p53 and non-coding RNAs in the regulation of EMT in breast cancer

The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a pivotal role in the differentiation of vertebrates and is critically important in tumorigenesis. Using this evolutionarily conserved mechanism, cancer cells become drug-resistant and acquire the ability to escape the cytotoxic effect of anti-cancer drugs. In addition, these cells gain invasive features and increased mobility thereby promoting metastases. In this respect, the process of EMT is critical for dissemination of solid tumors including breast cancer. It has been shown that miRNAs are instrumental for the regulation of EMT, where they play both positive and negative roles often as a part of a feed-back loop. Recent studies have highlighted a novel association of p53 and EMT where the mutation status of p53 is critically important for the outcome of this process. Interestingly, p53 has been shown to mediate its effects via the miRNA-dependent mechanism that targets master-regulators of EMT, such as Zeb1/2, Snail, Slug, and Twist1. This regulation often involves interactions of miRNAs with lncRNAs. In this review, we present a detailed overview of miRNA/lncRNA-dependent mechanisms that control interplay between p53 and master-regulators of EMT and their importance for breast cancer.