Open AccessRoles of Krüppel‐like factor 4 in normal homeostasis, cancer and stem cells
Author(s) -
Evans Paul M,
Liu Chunming
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
acta biochimica et biophysica sinica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.771
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1745-7270
pISSN - 1672-9145
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-7270.2008.00439.x
Subject(s) - klf4 , induced pluripotent stem cell , transcription factor , reprogramming , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , stem cell , embryonic stem cell , cellular differentiation , zinc finger transcription factor , cancer research , zinc finger , genetics , cell , gene
Krüppel‐like factor 4 (KLF4) is a zinc finger‐type transcription factor expressed in a variety of tissues, including the epithelium of the intestine and the skin, and it plays an important role in differentiation and cell cycle arrest. Depending on the gene targeted, KLF4 can both activate and repress transcription. Moreover, in certain cellular contexts, KLF4 can function as a tumor suppressor or an oncogene. Finally, KLF4 is important in reprogramming differentiated fibroblasts into inducible pluripotent stem cells, which highly resemble embryonic stem cells. This review summarizes what is known about the diverse functions of KLF4 as well as their molecular mechanisms.