Deciphering the Role of Kruppel-like Factor 9 in Sepsis and Immunity: Perspectives from Joint Collective Omics Data and a Literature Review

Publicly available transcriptome profiling data show that the abundance of Kruppel-like factor 9 (KLF9) transcripts is elevated in neutrophils exposed to the plasma of septic patients. KLF9 is a transcription factor involved in regulating cancer cell proliferation, neurological development and reproduction, but its possible role in sepsis has not been reported in the literature. In the context of this review, further exploration of the public literature and transcriptional profiling records revealed the following: 1) KLF9 transcript abundance is also increased in vivo in patients with sepsis across multiple datasets. 2) KLF9 is one of the few members of the KLF family that can be induced by treatment with the broad-spectrum immune activator PMA/ionomycin. 3) Among other known roles, KLF9 contributes to increased oxidative stress and tissue injury via the repression of the levels of antioxidants such as thioredoxin reductase 2. A similar role can be inferred in neutrophils in the context of sepsis. Taken together, this gene-centric review of omics and bibliographic records identified potential gaps in biomedical knowledge about the role of KLF9 in sepsis and immunity and identified potential avenues for downstream investigation.