The role of zinc finger E-box-binding homeoboxin the prognosis of Glioblastoma: A review

Glioblastoma is one of the most malignant brain tumors that have a low survival rate compared to other cancers. The hallmark of tumor metastasis is controlled by a process called epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The EMT can also be affected by a protein called Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 encoded by the ZEB1 gene. Studies have found that this gene is expressed by the primary glioblastomas. This gene is localized in the invasion front of the tumor which also has fewer N-cadherin expression, another protein associated with the EMT process. The lower the N-cadherin expression, the less cell-cell connections and the greater the cell mobility, which means increased invasiveness. Therefore, redistributing the N-cadherin expression, such as by using the ROBO1, is a promising way to control the glioblastoma invasion. Coincidentally, the ROBO1 expression can be controlled by the expression of the ZEB1 gene. There is also a paralog of the ZEB1 gene, namely the ZEB2 gene which plays a role in Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathways, which is positively correlated with aggressiveness of the cancers. In fact, studies have found that higher expression of the ZEB2 gene is correlated with lower survival rate of glioblastoma patients.