Progesterone receptor inhibits the proliferation and invasion of endometrial cancer cells by up regulating Krüppel-like factor 9

BACKGROUND: Krüppel-like factor 9 (KLF9) is one of the most important members of the KLF family, and is abnormally expressed in many tumors. However, the detailed function of KLF9 in endometrial cancer (EC) was barely investigated. METHODS: In this study, a total of 52 paired EC tissues were recruited to detect the KLF9 expression. Then a serial of phenotypic experiments and mechanism researches were performed. RESULTS: The results showed that KLF9 expression was decreased in EC tissues, and the reduced expression of KLF9 is associated with highly metastatic capacity of EC cells. KLF9 could inhibit the proliferation and invasion of EC cells by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Progesterone receptor (PR) could bind to KLF9 promoter and a positive correlation between KLF9 and PR expression was witnessed. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the reduction of KLF9 induced by PR might participate in the development of EC and targeting KLF9 may provide a novel strategy for EC management.