Functional roles of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 in gliomas

Highlight
• EZH2 and the Polycomb family
• The upstream regulation of EZH2 by microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs in gliomas
• The functional roles of EZH2 in gliomas

Gliomas are the most common and lethal type of primary malignant brain tumor. Due to the infiltrative nature and high resistance to standard first line treatment with combinations of radiation and chemotherapy, the prognosis of patient is very poor. Recently, accumulated evidence suggests that enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) serves as an oncogene and is involved in multiple glioma cell processes, including cell cycle, invasion, glioma stem cell maintenance, drug and radiotherapy resistance and so on. In this review, we will focus on updating current knowledge of EZH2 in gliomas. Moreover, the regulation of EZH2 by microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs and the therapeutic strategies targeting EZH2 for gliomas will also be discussed.