Zebrafish Klf11b is Required to Maintain Cell Viability by Inhibiting p53-Mediated Apoptosis.

Krüppel-like factor 10 (KLF10) regulates various cellular functions, such as proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, as well as the homeostasis of several types of tissue. In the present study, we attempted a loss-of-function analysis of zebrafish and , which constitute human KLF10 homologs. Embryos injected with () showed developmental retardation and cell death, whereas -injected embryos showed normal development. In -injected embryos, a dramatic increase in the amount of zebrafish mRNA might be the cause of the increase in that of . The degree of apoptosis decreased in the and co-injected embryos. These findings imply that KLF10 is a negative regulator of p53-dependent transcription, suggesting that the KLF10/p53 complex may play an important role in apoptosis for maintenance of tissue homeostasis during embryonic development.