ZEB2: a multifunctional regulator of neural injury repair

Nerve injury is a pathological condition characterized by damage or necrosis of nerve cells in injured areas due to trauma, infection, ischemia, genetic factor or other factors. Neural injury repair is precisely regulated by the complex regulatory network of body. Zinc finger E-box-binding protein 2 (ZEB2), known as a critical transcription factor, not only serves as a key participant in embryonic neural development, but also exerts a vital regulatory role in neural injury repair. This paper summarizes the structure, function, and regulatory network of ZEB2 and then elucidates its pivotal roles in glial scar formation, remyelination, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) for neural injury repair. Furthermore, it provides a comprehensive summary of advances about ZEB2's regulatory role in peripheral nerve injury, spinal cord injury, hemorrhagic brain injury, and Mowat-Wilson syndrome. This paper deepens the theoretical significance of ZEB2 in regulating neural injury repair and aims to offer a new perspective for therapeutic strategies in neural injury repair.