Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41606266›Full record

ArticleEMBO reports2026

EZH2 directs HER2+ breast cancer progression through the modulation of epithelial plasticity.

Linshan Liu, Ellie J Massey, Dongmei Zuo, Alain Pacis, Mert Demirdizen, Elizabeth Podleszanski, Jessica Cinkornpumin, Yu Gu, Hailey Proud, Virginie Sanguin-Gendreau and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EMBO reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Linshan Liu *Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-1260-0746
Ellie J Massey *Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID 0009-0002-0124-1546
Dongmei ZuoGoodman Cancer Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Alain PacisGoodman Cancer Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Mert DemirdizenDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, Odense, 5230, Denmark.
Elizabeth PodleszanskiDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Jessica CinkornpuminDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3138-1072
Yu GuDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Hailey ProudDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5109-8840
Virginie Sanguin-GendreauGoodman Cancer Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Vasilios PapavasiliouGoodman Cancer Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Ishtiaque HossainDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4494-0366
Zhengze JiangGoodman Cancer Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Harvey W SmithGoodman Cancer Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
William A PastorDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4176-5299
Paolo CeppiDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, Odense, 5230, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-3632-8476
William J MullerDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. william.muller@mcgill.ca.ORCID 0000-0002-7293-4166

Funding

Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute (CCSRI) #706679Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) TEC-128089Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) RGPIN-2018-04856
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of death among women, with the HER2+ subtype being particularly aggressive due to acquired resistance to HER2-targeted therapies. Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2), the catalytic subunit of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2, represses the expression of genetic programs crucial for differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. To investigate the role of EZH2 in HER2+ tumor progression, we crossed a genetically engineered mouse model of HER2-driven breast cancer with a conditional Ezh2 knockout strain and showed that Ezh2 is essential for accelerating tumor initiation and metastatic dissemination. Combined bulk and single cell RNA sequencing analyses revealed a significant downregulation of basal cell populations in the absence of Ezh2, and an upregulation of luminal progenitor cell populations, driven by crucial transcription factors such as Esr1. Further, inhibition of EZH2 in vitro resulted in increased expression of ER in HER2+ human breast cancer cell lines and conferred sensitivity to Tamoxifen. These findings demonstrate that EZH2 dictates cancer plasticity and provides rationale for combining EZH2 inhibitors with endocrine therapies to improve HER2+ breast cancer outcomes.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsCell PlasticityEnhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 ProteinErb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine KinasesAnimalsCell Line, TumorDisease ProgressionEpithelial CellsEstrogen Receptor alphaFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMiceMice, KnockoutTamoxifenEnhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 ProteinErb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine KinasesEstrogen Receptor alphaEZH2 protein, humanEzh2 protein, mouseTamoxifenBreast CancerEpigeneticsEstrogen ReceptorEZH2Plasticity

Identifiers

PMID41606266
PMCPMC12979841

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.