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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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KLK7
kallikrein related peptidase 7
Chromosome 19 · 19q13.41
NCBI Gene: 5650Ensembl: ENSG00000169035.13HGNC: HGNC:6368UniProt: B4DHX9
90PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Protease
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
peptidase activityepidermal lamellar bodyantibacterial peptide biosynthetic processplasma membraneneurodegenerative diseaseerythematosquamous dermatosisseborrheic dermatitisovarian cancer
✦AI Summary

KLK7 is a secreted serine protease that plays critical roles in both normal physiology and disease. Functionally, KLK7 catalyzes degradation of intercellular cohesive structures in the skin's cornified layer, facilitating continuous epidermal desquamation 1. The protease specifically cleaves substrates with aromatic amino acids in the P1 position and activates procaspase-14 during keratinocyte terminal differentiation 2. In skin barrier maintenance, KLK7 activity is tightly regulated by LEKTI; imbalance causes excessive desquamation in Netherton syndrome and atopic dermatitis 1. Beyond dermatology, KLK7 contributes to inflammatory responses by promoting immune cell infiltration in adipose tissue during obesity, with elevated serum KLK7 correlating with inflammatory markers in diabetic patients 3. Pathologically, KLK7 is significantly overexpressed across multiple cancers including pancreatic, cervical, thyroid, and ovarian carcinomas 4567. In cervical cancer, KLK7 drives tumorigenesis via KLK14-dependent RhoA and NF-κB signaling 5, while elevated expression associates with reduced progression-free survival in ovarian cancer 7. KLK7 expression is epigenetically regulated through histone acetylation and Sp1-dependent mechanisms 4. Therapeutically, bispecific antibodies inhibiting KLK5/7 show promise for inflammatory dermatoses 1, while KLK7 represents an emerging cancer therapy target 8.

Sources cited
1
KLK7 role in epidermal desquamation, LEKTI regulation, and protective effects of anti-KLK7 antibodies in Netherton syndrome and atopic dermatitis
PMID: 36516271
2
KLK7-mediated activation of procaspase-14 during corneocyte formation and keratinocyte terminal differentiation
PMID: 24567096
3
KLK7 promotes inflammatory macrophage infiltration in visceral adipose tissue and correlation with inflammatory markers in obesity/diabetes patients
PMID: 40154838
4
KLK7 overexpression in pancreatic and cervical cancer; epigenetic regulation through HDAC inhibition and Sp1 transcription factor
PMID: 27279059
5
KLK7 drives cervical carcinogenesis via KLK14-dependent RhoA and NF-κB signaling pathways
PMID: 40753921
6
KLK7 elevated in papillary thyroid carcinoma; association with overall survival and immune cell infiltration
PMID: 38316654
7
KLK7 overexpression in ovarian cancer associated with higher stage and reduced progression-free survival
PMID: 33336051
8
KLK7 mediates cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis through substrate hydrolysis
PMID: 34525904
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.24Weak
erythematosquamous dermatosisOpen Targets
0.24Weak
seborrheic dermatitisOpen Targets
0.21Weak
ovarian cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
papillary thyroid carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
melanomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
posterior cortical atrophyOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
oral squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
benign prostatic hyperplasiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
central nervous system cancerOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
breast fibrocystic diseaseOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
obesityOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
cervical adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
prostate cancerOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
esophageal adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
KLK8Protein interaction95%FLG2Protein interaction89%SPINK5Protein interaction87%CDSNProtein interaction85%DSG1Protein interaction85%FLGProtein interaction85%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Brain
100%
Lung
6%
Liver
4%
Ovary
4%
Bone Marrow
1%
Heart
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
KLK7KLK8FLG2SPINK5CDSNDSG1FLG
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB2QXI · 1.00 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.26LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.84 [0.58–1.26]
RankingsWhere KLK7 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #5,313of 20,598
    Most Researched90
  • #13,339of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.26
Genes detectedKLK7
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Dual antibody inhibition of KLK5 and KLK7 for Netherton syndrome and atopic dermatitis.
PMID: 36516271
Sci Transl Med · 2022
1.00
2
A pharmacogenetic study of psoriasis supports the association between a gene (KLK7) and treatment response.
PMID: 38124525
Br J Dermatol · 2023
0.90
3
The serine protease KLK7 promotes immune cell infiltration in visceral adipose tissue in obesity.
PMID: 40154838
Metabolism · 2025
0.80
4
Epigenetic regulation of KLK7 gene expression in pancreatic and cervical cancer cells.
PMID: 27279059
Biol Chem · 2016
0.70
5
Caspase-14 protocols.
PMID: 24567096
Methods Mol Biol · 2014
0.60