| Feature | Epithelial | Mesenchymal | Remarks |
| Morphology | Cobblestone-like | Spindle-shaped, motile | Morphological shift is often the first visible sign of EMT. |
| E-cadherin | High | Low/Absent | Loss of E-cadherin weakens cell-cell adhesion; hallmark of EMT. |
| N-cadherin/Vimentin | Low | High | Upregulation contributes to motility and structural changes. |
| MMP-3 | Low | High | Upregulation contributes to ECM remodeling |
| Migration/Invasion | Low | High | Enhanced migratory behavior is a functional outcome of EMT. |
| Junctional Proteins | ZO-1, Claudin, Occludin (present) | Lost or mislocalized | Disruption of tight junctions affects polarity and permeability. |
| Transcription Factors | Inactive (Snail, Slug, Twist, Zeb1/2) | Activated | These TFs repress epithelial genes and activate mesenchymal programs. |
| Polarity | Apical-basal polarity maintained | Loss of polarity | Loss of polarity contributes to invasive behavior and tissue disorganization. |
| Extracellular Matrix (ECM) | Minimal interaction | Increased interaction/remodeling | ECM remodeling via fibronectin, MMPs, etc. supports invasion. |
| Stemness markers | Low | High in some EMT states | Partial EMT may confer stem-like features and therapeutic resistance. |
| Drug resistance | Low | High | EMT is associated with resistance to apoptosis and certain therapies. |
