Evidence mapPaperPMID 41786705Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

TCF21 promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and cytoskeleton reorganization in uterine development and endometriosis.

Jingwen Zhu, Peili Wu, Yilei Ma, Zijun Peng, Hangwei Fa, Leyi Qin, Mengyang Geng, Ruihui Lu, Cheng Zeng, Ning Wu and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Jingwen ZhuDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Peili WuDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Yilei MaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
Zijun PengDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
Hangwei FaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
Leyi QinDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
Mengyang GengDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
Ruihui LuDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Cheng ZengDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Ning WuDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Deyu ZhangDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Chengying ZhangDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
Chao PengDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Yingfang ZhouDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Yongfeng ShangDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5050-7625
Jing LiangDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China. liang_jing@hsc.pku.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7003-7920
Qing XueDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China. drxueqing@163.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9608-8331

Funding

Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology) 2022YFC2704000National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 82188102National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 82273155
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease associated with pelvic pain and infertility. Despite several existing theories, the etiology and molecular mechanisms of endometriosis remain to be investigated. Here we report that transcription factor 21 (TCF21) regulates uterine development and endometriosis pathogenesis by promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cytoskeleton reorganization. Uterine-specific knockout of Tcf21 in mice promotes EMT of the endometrium and dysplasia of the uterus. Accordingly, patients with endometriosis exhibit high TCF21 expression and an expanded population of stromal cells in both eutopic and ectopic endometria. Integrative epigenomic and transcriptomic analyses in patient-derived ectopic stromal cells reveal that TCF21 transcriptionally activated a cohort of genes, including LIMK2, which is critically involved in cytoskeleton organization. Indeed, TCF21-activated LIMK2-cofilin signaling in stromal cells is associated with actin-cytoskeleton reorganization and increased cell invasion and adhesion. In a surgically constructed mouse model, depletion of Tcf21 in eutopic stromal cells alleviates endometriotic lesions, whereas treatment of mice with AAV-Pgr-Tcf21 leads to increased endometriosis incidence, which could be mitigated by administering the LIM kinase inhibitor LIMKi 3. These observations uncover the importance of the TCF21-LIMK2-cofilin axis in uterine development and endometriosis, supporting the pursuit of TCF21-LIMK2-cofilin targeting in the diagnosis and therapeutics of endometriosis.

Indexed as

Basic Helix-Loop-Helix ProteinsCytoskeletonEndometriosisEpithelial-Mesenchymal TransitionUterusAnimalsEndometriumFemaleHumansLim KinasesMiceMice, KnockoutSignal TransductionStromal CellsBasic Helix-Loop-Helix ProteinsLim KinasesTCF21 protein, humanTcf21 protein, mouse

Identifiers

PMID41786705
PMCPMC13076621

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.