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Our previous study revealed an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like process in red peritoneal endometriosis, whereas membrane localization of E-cadherin was well maintained in epithelial cells of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). Here we show that endometrial epithelial cells (EEE) grown on polyacrylamide gel substrates (PGS) of 2 kilopascal (kPa), a soft matrix, initiate a partial EMT-like process with transforming growth factor-\u03b21 (TGF-\u03b21) stimulation. Increasing matrix stiffness with TGF-\u03b21 stimulation reduced the number of cell-cell contacts. Cells that retained cell-cell contacts showed decreased expression of E-cadherin and zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1) to cell-cell junctions. Few deep endometriotic epithelial cells (DEE) grown on 30-kPa PGS, which may mimic <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic> tissue compliance of DIE, retained localization of E-cadherin to cell-cell junctions with TGF-\u03b21 treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis showed no phosphorylated Smad 2\/3 nuclear localization in E-cadherin+ epithelial cells of DIE. We hypothesize that EEE may undergo an EMT-like process after attachment of endometrium to peritoneum in a TGF-\u03b21\u2013rich microenvironment. However, TGF-\u03b21 signaling may be absent in DIE, resulting in a more epithelial cell-like phenotype in a rigid microenvironment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1038\/srep44616","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,3,17]],"date-time":"2017-03-17T11:01:18Z","timestamp":1489748478000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":43,"title":["Effects of matrix stiffness on epithelial to mesenchymal transition-like processes of endometrial epithelial cells: Implications for the pathogenesis of endometriosis"],"prefix":"10.1038","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Sachiko","family":"Matsuzaki","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claude","family":"Darcha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jean-Luc","family":"Pouly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michel","family":"Canis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,3,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"BFsrep44616_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1789","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(04)17403-5","volume":"364","author":"LC Giudice","year":"2004","unstructured":"Giudice, L. 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