HOXA2, a tumor suppressor in the mammary gland

“Epigenetic regulation of HOXA2 expression affects tumor progression and predicts breast cancer patient survival” (De Palma, FDE, et al., 2025), a recent report published in Cell Death and Differentiation, identifies the homeodomain transcription factor HOXA2 as an oncoprotective protein in the breast. 

In vitro and in vivo experiments, as well as in silico analyses and clinical records converge to support that the downregulation of the HOXA2 gene correlates with increased breast cancer aggressiveness and unfavorable patient survival outcomes. Epigenetic silencing of HOXA2 has thus been identified as a clinically relevant prognostic biomarker. 

This study resulted from a vast international collaborative effort involving distinct research centres around Europe, including LIBST.

HOXA2 acts as a tumor suppressor in vitro

Image from De Palma, F.D.E., et al, 2025 : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41418-024-01430-2