ArticleBMC biology2026
A ZEB1-Neon knock-in uncovers traceable dynamics of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in tumors in vivo.
Article in BMC biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundProgression and metastasis of solid cancers are orchestrated by activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the primary tumor. This process is typically restricted to a limited number of cells that acquire partial or hybrid EMT states to unleash cellular plasticity. Capturing such dynamic and often reversible events in vivo on the single cell level is hampered by the lack of proper labeling tools that yet often induce permanent staining persisting beyond transient EMT activation.
methodsTo enable live-tracking of EMT in vivo, we utilized CRISPaint and homologous recombination to endogenously tag ZEB1, one key transcription factor to activate EMT during tumorigenesis. Using the bright fluorescent protein mNeonGreen, we generated ZEB1-Neon fusion knock-in alleles in MDA-MB-231 and MCF10A cells, as well as in mice.
resultsWe demonstrate that mNeonGreen fluorescence is suitable to faithfully report on ZEB1 expression in vitro over time, becomes properly upregulated by TGFβ, and allows separation of ZEB1hi and ZEB1lo cells to capture different cellular properties, e.g., handling of DNA damage. The fusion does not affect ZEB1 function as evident by proper EMT induction, embryogenesis, and tissue homeostasis when present homozygously. Moreover, introducing Zeb1-Neon into the KPC mouse model of pancreatic cancer permits tracking of ZEB1+ cells in precision-cut slices and time-lapse imaging of isolated tumor cells.
conclusionsIn summary, we provide a versatile tool that allows precise detection and live cell imaging of EMT, which will help to more accurately decipher the role of EMT in tumor progression and to identify therapeutic agents that can specifically manipulate EMT for novel combination therapies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.