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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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KLF15
KLF transcription factor 15
Chromosome 3 · 3q21.3
NCBI Gene: 28999Ensembl: ENSG00000163884.5HGNC: HGNC:14536UniProt: Q9UIH9
87PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Transcription Factor
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
RNA polymerase II transcription regulatory region sequence-specific DNA bindingRNA polymerase II cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA bindingnegative regulation of peptidyl-lysine acetylationnucleusandrogenetic alopecianeurodegenerative diseasealopeciahepatitis B virus infection
✦AI Summary

KLF15 is a zinc-finger transcription factor that functions as a critical metabolic and stress-response regulator across multiple tissues. In the heart, KLF15 regulates cardiac metabolism through interaction with mitochondrial signaling pathways; loss of cardiac mitochondrial protein translation upregulates KLF15 to restore metabolic balance and prevent heart failure 1. KLF15 also negatively regulates cardiac remodeling by repressing CCN2 expression and inhibiting hypertrophy-associated transcription factors MEF2A and GATA4 [UniProt]. In skeletal muscle, KLF15 mediates immobility-induced atrophy through a Piezo1/KLF15/IL-6 signaling axis; mice with skeletal muscle-specific KLF15 deficiency are protected from immobilization-induced muscle loss 2. KLF15 acts as a candidate gene for obesity and type 2 diabetes, potentially through effects on branched-chain amino acid metabolism 3. In the kidney proximal tubule, KLF15 is essential for maintaining fatty acid oxidation and preventing acute kidney injury and fibrosis; KLF15 co-occupies promoters of FAO genes (CPT1A, ACAA2) with PPARα, and loss of KLF15 exacerbates injury through impaired metabolic gene expression 4. KLF15 expression is regulated by glucocorticoids in the brain as part of stress-response transcriptomic reprogramming 5. In endothelial cells, KLF15 negatively regulates angiogenesis by transactivating VASN, which activates Notch1 signaling 6. These findings position KLF15 as a metabolic sentinel integrating stress signals with tissue-specific adaptive responses.

Sources cited
1
KLF15 upregulation in skeletal muscle mediates immobility-induced muscle atrophy through a Piezo1/KLF15/IL-6 axis
PMID: 35290243
2
KLF15 is a downstream target of mitochondrial ribosomal protein MRPS5 and can rescue cardiac metabolic defects and prevent heart failure
PMID: 36949106
3
Proximal tubule KLF15 co-occupies FAO gene promoters with PPARα and loss of KLF15 exacerbates acute kidney injury and fibrosis through reduced fatty acid oxidation
PMID: 34634362
4
KLF15 is designated as a candidate gene for obesity and type 2 diabetes related to branched-chain amino acid metabolism
PMID: 25287287
5
KLF15 is consistently regulated by glucocorticoids in the brain as part of stress-response transcriptomic reprogramming
PMID: 29180230
6
KLF15 in endothelial cells negatively regulates angiogenesis by transactivating VASN, which activates Notch1 signaling
PMID: 40297901
Disease Associationsⓘ20
androgenetic alopeciaOpen Targets
0.49Moderate
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.45Moderate
alopeciaOpen Targets
0.35Weak
hepatitis B virus infectionOpen Targets
0.31Weak
insomniaOpen Targets
0.29Weak
goutOpen Targets
0.16Weak
deep vein thrombosisOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
severe malarial anemiaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
infectionOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
triple-negative breast cancerOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Insulin resistanceOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
glioblastoma multiformeOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
myocardial infarctionOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
hypertriglyceridemia 2Open Targets
0.06Suggestive
schizophreniaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
hypoalphalipoproteinemia, primary, 1Open Targets
0.05Suggestive
urinary bladder carcinomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
CFAP100Protein interaction86%TMCC1Protein interaction85%PODXL2Protein interaction84%CLCNKAProtein interaction80%PLXND1Protein interaction78%CLCNKBProtein interaction76%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Liver
100%
Ovary
53%
Heart
25%
Lung
14%
Brain
7%
Bone Marrow
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
KLF15CFAP100TMCC1PODXL2CLCNKAPLXND1CLCNKB
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB2ENT · NMR
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.41Moderately Constrained
pLIⓘ
1.00Intolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.18 [0.09–0.41]
RankingsWhere KLF15 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #5,491of 20,598
    Most Researched87
  • #2,142of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.41 · top quartile
Genes detectedKLF15
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
A Piezo1/KLF15/IL-6 axis mediates immobilization-induced muscle atrophy.
PMID: 35290243
J Clin Invest · 2022
1.00
2
Glucocorticoid-induced skeletal muscle atrophy.
PMID: 23806868
Int J Biochem Cell Biol · 2013
0.90
3
Podocyte-Parietal Epithelial Cell Interdependence in Glomerular Development and Disease.
PMID: 36800545
J Am Soc Nephrol · 2023
0.80
4
Endothelial KLF15/VASN Axis Inhibits Angiogenesis via Activation of Notch1 Signaling.
PMID: 40297901
Circ Res · 2025
0.70
5
Branched-chain amino acids in metabolic signalling and insulin resistance.
PMID: 25287287
Nat Rev Endocrinol · 2014
0.60