Eribulin rapidly inhibits TGF-β-induced Snail expression and can induce Slug expression in a Smad4-dependent manner.

These results identify a mechanism by which eribulin-mediated microtubule disruption could reverse EMT in preclinical models and in patients. Furthermore, high Smad4 levels could serve as a biomarker of this response. This study highlights that microtubule targeting drugs can exert distinct effects on the expression of EMT-regulating transcription factors and that identifying differences among these drugs could lead to their more rational use.