| 2019 |
Hypoxia-induced autophagy drives phosphorylation of EZR (ezrin) at Thr567, mediated by PRKCA/PKCα as the upstream kinase; knockdown of autophagy genes ATG5, BNIP3, BNIP3L, or BECN1 reversed this phosphorylation, establishing a hypoxia-autophagy-PKC-EZR signaling axis that regulates tumor-initiating cell self-renewal. |
Gene knockdown (shRNA/siRNA), pharmacological inhibition, phospho-specific immunostaining, in vivo tumor initiation assays |
Autophagy |
Medium |
31775562
|
| 2009 |
Transcription of the EZR/VIL2 gene in esophageal carcinoma cells is controlled by Sp1 and AP-1 (c-Jun/c-Fos) binding to a minimal promoter region (-87/-32); these transcription factors bind their respective sites and are activated downstream of the MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling pathway. |
Luciferase reporter with deletion/site-directed mutants, EMSA, chromatin immunoprecipitation, pharmacological inhibitors |
The Journal of biological chemistry |
High |
19164283
|
| 2016 |
The histone methyltransferase SMYD3 directly binds to the EZR promoter region and stimulates EZR transcription; ChIP assay confirmed SMYD3 occupancy at the EZR promoter, and SMYD3 knockdown suppressed EZR expression, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. |
Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), RNAi knockdown, in vitro and in vivo functional assays |
Human pathology |
Medium |
26980013
|
| 2018 |
Antisense lncRNA EZR-AS1 recruits SMYD3 to a GC-rich region downstream of the EZR promoter, causing H3K4me3 enrichment and enhanced EZR transcription; EZR-AS1 also forms a complex with RNA polymerase II to activate EZR transcription. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, ChIP, RNA pulldown, reporter assays, in vivo xenograft |
Nucleic acids research |
Medium |
29253179
|
| 2015 |
TPA (phorbol ester) induces over-expression of EZR/VIL2 variant 1 (but not variant 2) in ESCC cells via activation of MEK/ERK1/2 signaling, which increases c-Jun and Sp1 binding to the AP-1 and Sp1 composite TPA-responsive element in the VIL2 V1 promoter; MEK inhibitor U0126 blocks this induction, and ezrin silencing partially reverses TPA-promoted cell migration. |
Promoter-luciferase assays, ChIP, pharmacological inhibitors (U0126), siRNA knockdown, migration assays |
PloS one |
Medium |
25915860
|
| 2011 |
A DNA enhancer element for the VIL2/EZR gene was mapped to the -1297/-1186 region upstream of the VIL2 promoter; this element functions in a position- and orientation-dependent manner to enhance VIL2 promoter activity in HEK-293 cells. |
Luciferase reporter assays with deletion constructs in transiently transfected HEK-293 cells |
Cell biology international |
Medium |
21585339
|
| 2021 |
EZR promotes pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via activation of the FAK/AKT signaling pathway; EZR knockdown suppressed these phenotypes and reduced FAK protein levels and downstream signaling. |
siRNA knockdown, Western blot, CCK-8 assay, Transwell assay |
Cancer cell international |
Low |
34627255
|
| 2022 |
EZR knockdown inhibited RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 activity in breast cancer cells, as confirmed by RhoA activation assays, placing EZR upstream of these small GTPases in regulating cancer cell migration and invasion. |
siRNA knockdown, RhoA/Rac1/Cdc42 activation (pulldown) assays, migration and invasion assays |
Oncology research |
Low |
37304008
|
| 2024 |
SIRT7, a desuccinylase, suppresses succinylation of EZR at the Lys60 site; SIRT7 knockdown promoted EZR succinylation at K60, and EZR overexpression induced higher melanin synthesis in melanocytes, whereas EZR knockdown blocked SIRT7-loss-induced melanin synthesis, placing EZR downstream of SIRT7-regulated succinylation in melanin biosynthesis. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, immunoprecipitation, Western blot, rescue experiments, tyrosinase activity assay, melanin content measurement |
Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology |
Medium |
38933605
|
| 2017 |
Ezrin (Vil2) is required for proper bile duct fluidity and alkalinity regulation; ezrin-knockdown (Vil2kd/kd) mice exhibit severe hepatic injury resembling intrahepatic cholestatic disease, and UDCA treatment ameliorated hepatic function and fibrosis in these mice independently of biliary bicarbonate secretion. |
Vil2kd/kd knockdown mouse model, histology, liver function assays, gene expression analysis, in vitro cholangiocyte cytotoxicity |
Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin |
Medium |
28049946
|
| 2024 |
A missense variant (P471L) in EZR was identified in a family with congenital nuclear cataract; EZR knockout in zebrafish using TALENs caused developmental delays manifesting as multilayered lens epithelial cells with abnormal proliferation patterns, indicating ezrin is required for enucleation and differentiation of lens epithelial cells. |
Linkage analysis, whole-exome sequencing, TALEN-mediated zebrafish knockout, histology, immunohistochemistry |
Ophthalmic genetics |
Medium |
38563525
|
| 2026 |
EZR depletion in breast cancer cells suppressed STAT3 Tyr705 phosphorylation and downstream pro-survival signaling; STAT3 activation partially rescued EZR-loss phenotypes (reduced proliferation, migration, invasion, increased apoptosis), establishing that EZR sustains STAT3 signaling to drive metastatic competence and paclitaxel resistance. |
Stable EZR silencing (shRNA), phospho-kinase profiling, immunoblot, STAT3 activation rescue, orthotopic xenograft, lung colonization model, paclitaxel-resistant subline generation |
Life sciences |
Medium |
41621788
|
| 2025 |
ERK phosphorylates the C-terminal tail of the Ezrin-activating kinase LOK, inhibiting LOK's activation of Ezrin in the cell body; this releases Ezrin's inhibition of Rho (via ARHGAP18 recruitment) and promotes stress fiber assembly for cell migration, establishing an ERK-LOK-Ezrin-ARHGAP18-Rho signaling cascade. |
Molecular perturbations, live-cell imaging, kinase activity assays, epistasis experiments in migrating cells |
bioRxivpreprint |
Medium |
|
| 2025 |
PI(4,5)P2 binding to the Ezrin FERM domain (F1 and F3 subdomains) outcompetes other phospholipids and triggers a conformational rearrangement that destabilizes the FERM F2-CTD interface, enabling spontaneous dissociation of the non-phosphorylated C-terminal domain (CTD); T567 phosphorylation subsequently impedes FERM-CTD reassociation, stabilizing the open active conformation. EBP50 competes with the CTD for F2-F3 FERM binding after CTD dissociation. |
Enhanced sampling molecular dynamics (metadynamics), free energy calculations, contact-map collective variables, biochemical validation |
bioRxivpreprint |
Medium |
|
| 2025 |
Both PC1 and PC2 polycystins co-immunoprecipitate Ezrin; acute loss of polycystins reduced Ezrin protein abundance and caused mis-localization of active Ezrin away from the apical surface in renal epithelial cells, and PKC inhibition phenocopied this loss, implicating the polycystin complex in regulating Ezrin phosphorylation and apical cell shape. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, inducible Pkd1/Pkd2 knockout, immunofluorescence, 3D tubuloid culture, pharmacological inhibitors (NSC668394, PKC inhibitor) |
bioRxivpreprint |
Low |
|
| 2025 |
Phactr4 loss leads to Ezrin hyperphosphorylation in macrophages, and ezrin inhibition reverses the membrane protrusion defects caused by Phactr4 knockdown, placing Ezrin downstream of the PP1-Phactr4 phosphatase axis in controlling lamellipodial dynamics and macrophage migration. |
siRNA knockdown, pharmacological ezrin inhibition, live-cell imaging, epistasis experiments |
bioRxivpreprint |
Low |
|
| 2025 |
In bleb-based migration of metastatic melanoma cells under confinement, CD44 and ERM proteins (including Ezrin) restrict EGFR mobility within a membrane-apposed cortical actin meshwork at the bleb rear, establishing a rear-to-front EGFR-PI3K-Rac1 activity gradient required for bleb stability and polarized migration. |
High-resolution time-lapse imaging, protein activity biosensors, optogenetics, specific molecular perturbations |
bioRxivpreprint |
Low |
|
| 2024 |
Erbin physically interacts with NHERF1, Ezrin, and HER2 in actin-rich membrane protrusions of HER2-positive breast cancer cells; Erbin knockdown disrupted the HER2/NHERF1/Ezrin/HSP90 protein complex, reducing HER2 signaling, and inhibition of Ezrin disrupted Erbin's ability to interact with HER2, establishing Ezrin as a scaffold component of this signaling complex. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, knockdown, immunofluorescence in SKBR3 cells and MMTV-Neu mammary glands |
bioRxivpreprint |
Low |
|
| 2024 |
Integrin beta 4 (ITGB4) directly interacts with Ezrin (EZR) as confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and co-immunofluorescence; ITGB4 knockdown decreased EZR expression at both mRNA and protein levels, and EZR overexpression rescued the pro-tumorigenic phenotypes suppressed by ITGB4 silencing, establishing ITGB4 as an upstream regulator of EZR that activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling in colorectal cancer. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, co-immunofluorescence, RNA-seq, Western blot, functional rescue assays, xenograft model |
bioRxivpreprint |
Low |
|
| 2025 |
PI(4,5)P2 asymmetrically incorporated into supported lipid bilayers retains functionality and recruits ezrin to the membrane, demonstrating that ezrin binding to PI(4,5)P2 is sufficient for membrane recruitment in a reconstituted system. |
Supported lipid bilayer reconstitution, FRAP, fluorescence microscopy |
bioRxivpreprint |
Low |
|
| 2025 |
Inhibition of ezrin phosphorylation (using small molecule inhibitors) reduced mechano-protection of cells against hypo-osmotic shock by weakening cortical actin contractility and shifting actin organization from the cortex to stress fibers via formin-mediated actin polymerization; formin inhibition (SMIFH2) prevented this stress fiber increase and blocked the subsequent increase in cell rupture rates. |
Small molecule ezrin inhibitors, formin inhibitor (SMIFH2), hypo-osmotic shock assay, live-cell imaging, traction force measurements |
bioRxivpreprint |
Low |
|
| 2024 |
SLK and Ezrin both significantly influence actin cytoskeleton architecture; differential effects were observed between protein knockdown and dephosphorylation, suggesting phosphorylation-independent roles for Ezrin in modulating actin dynamics beyond its canonical activation by T567 phosphorylation. |
siRNA knockdown, pharmacological inhibitors, actin structure imaging in HaCaT cells |
bioRxivpreprint |
Low |
|
| 2028 |
FOXF2 transcription factor directly interacts with EZR and inhibits EZR transcriptional expression; FOXF2 knockdown enhanced ESCC cell growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo, and suppression of ERBB2 signaling function was shown to be downstream of EZR regulation by FOXF2. |
Western blot, qRT-PCR, plasmid transfection, lentiviral infection, co-IP (implied by 'directly interacted'), migration/invasion assay, xenograft model |
Translational cancer research |
Low |
39816549
|