Rowland Benjamin D, Peeper Daniel S
Division of Molecular Genetics, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Nat Rev Cancer. 2006 Jan;6(1):11-23. doi: 10.1038/nrc1780.
Krüppel-like factors are transcriptional regulators that influence several cellular functions, including proliferation. Recent studies have shown that one family member, KLF4, can function both as a tumour suppressor and an oncogene. The ability of KLF4 to affect the levels of expression of the cell-cycle regulator p21 seems to be involved, in that this protein might function as a switch that determines the outcome of KLF4 signalling. Is this role of p21 restricted to KLF4, or does p21 represent a nodal point for signals from multiple other factors with opposing functions in cancer?
Krüppel样因子是影响多种细胞功能（包括增殖）的转录调节因子。最近的研究表明，该家族成员之一KLF4既可以作为肿瘤抑制因子发挥作用，也可以作为癌基因发挥作用。KLF4影响细胞周期调节因子p21表达水平的能力似乎与此有关，因为这种蛋白质可能作为一个开关，决定KLF4信号传导的结果。p21的这一作用是否仅限于KLF4，或者p21是否代表了来自癌症中具有相反功能的多种其他因子信号的一个节点？
