EPCAM and cancer: Moreover, ITGAV knockdown in EpCAM+ plastic cancer cells significantly reduced EMT induction in response to TGFβ and blocked the generation of mesenchymal EpCAMneg cancer cells, although cancer cells showed pSMAD3 induction upon TGFβ1 treatment and translocation of pSMAD2 to the nucleus (Fig. 7E-F and S8A-B).