Importantly, SPARC triggers EMT through direct cell-to-cell contact and upregulation of other EMT-inducers like fibronectin (FN1) (Takigawa et al., 2017), reminiscent of the interactions occurring between parenchymal and stromal cells at the invasive front in colon cancer (Fodde and Brabletz, 2007) where pEMT is expected to underlie plasticity and invasion through the ECM. The gene discussed is FN1; the disease is malignant colon neoplasm.