Keleş M, Gunel-Ozcan A. HOX and MEINOX in cellular plasticity, fibrosis, and cancer. World J Stem Cells 2025; 17(9): 109102 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i9.109102]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Aysen Gunel-Ozcan, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Stem Cell Sciences, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, Altindag, Ankara 06100, Türkiye. aysen.ozcan@hacettepe.edu.tr
Research Domain of This Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Stem Cells. Sep 26, 2025; 17(9): 109102 Published online Sep 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i9.109102
HOX and MEINOX in cellular plasticity, fibrosis, and cancer
Mustafa Keleş, Aysen Gunel-Ozcan
Mustafa Keleş, Aysen Gunel-Ozcan, Department of Stem Cell Sciences, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, Ankara 06100, Türkiye
Aysen Gunel-Ozcan, Center for Stem Cell Research and Development, Hacettepe University, Ankara 06100, Türkiye
Author contributions: Keleş M and Gunel-Ozcan A contributed equally to this work; Keleş M and Gunel-Ozcan A conceptualized and designed the review question and conducted the literature review; Keleş M created the artwork; Gunel-Ozcan A supervised and made critical revisions; and all authors prepared the draft and approved the submitted version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Aysen Gunel-Ozcan, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Stem Cell Sciences, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, Altindag, Ankara 06100, Türkiye. aysen.ozcan@hacettepe.edu.tr
Received: April 30, 2025 Revised: June 16, 2025 Accepted: August 18, 2025 Published online: September 26, 2025 Processing time: 148 Days and 4.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: HOX transcription factors and MEINOX cofactors critically regulate positional identity and cellular plasticity, fundamental processes in development and adult tissue homeostasis. Dysregulation of these factors profoundly influences extracellular matrix remodeling and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, promoting fibrosis progression and cancer invasiveness. By highlighting specific HOX-MEINOX-mediated mechanisms underlying disease pathology, including their interactions with key signaling pathways (transforming growth factor-beta, Wnt, Notch), this review identifies novel therapeutic targets. Modulating HOX-MEINOX activity could offer innovative strategies to reverse aberrant epithelial-mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix remodeling, bridging translational gaps toward effective treatments for fibrotic diseases and cancer.
