ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effects of Krüppel like factor 4 (KLF4)on matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9)ex-pression in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods A total of 50 primary hepatocellular carcinoma samples and their correspond-ing adjacent tissues specimens were collected.The expression of KLF4 and MMP9 were detected by IHC,Western blot and qRT-PCR.After KLF4 gene was transfected into hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2 cell line),the expressions of KLF4 and MMP9 were conformed by qRT-PCR and Western blot.Migration and invasion of HepG2 cell line transfected by KLF4 were detec-ted by wound-healing assay and invasion assay.Results Compared to corresponding adjacent tissues,The expression of KLF4 was significantly lower in HCCs(P <0.05),and MMP9 expression was remarkably higher in HCCs(P <0.05).KLF4 over-expression inhibited the expression of MMP9 on the protein and mRNA levels.Wound-healing assay and invasion assay confirmed that KLF4 regulated cell invasion and migration through regulating MMP9 expression.Conclusion KLF4 showed low expression in HCCs,and MMP9 was overexpressed.Up-regulation of KLF4 could decrease the expression of MMP9 in HepG2 cell line,which inhibited inva-sion and migration.