%0 Journal Article %A Ricardo Jorge Pais %T Simulation of multiple microenvironments shows a putative role of RPTPs on the control of Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition %D 2019 %R 10.1101/609263 %J bioRxiv %P 609263 %X Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal transition (EMT) together with Mesenchymal-to-Epithelial transition (MET) are two natural processes thought to participate in the process of cancer migration and metastasis acquisition. Multiple signals from the microenvironment have been reported to drive EMT. However, microenvironment signals that control EMT are still unknown. Here, we propose a hypothetical mechanism of control of EMT by cell contact dependent activation of RPTPs. This mechanism was supported by simulation of relevant physiological scenarios, where six key EMT promoting microenvironment signals were taken into account. These simulations showed that RPTPs have the potential to prevent EMT and also to promote MET in several physiological scenarios, except when combined with hypoxia scenario. In these cases, FAT4 activation by cell contacts may function as an alternative control mechanism of EMT, providing a theoretical explanation for the observed correlation between hypoxia and metastasis under chronic inflammation. %U https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2019/05/13/609263.full.pdf