Fig. 1.

KLF4 expression was significantly decreased in breast cancer tissues and breast cells. (A) Samples and adjacent tissues were obtained from 16 patients with breast cancer, total RNA was isolated, and quantitative RT-PCR was performed to evaluate KLF4 mRNA levels. ^∗P < 0.05 vs adjacent tissue group. (B) KLF4 protein levels in breast cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were detected by immunohistochemical staining. Magnification 200×. Left, representative photographs; right, immunohistochemical staining scores. ^∗P < 0.05 vs control group. (C) KLF4 mRNA levels in breast cancer cell lines and a nontransformed mammary epithelial cell line were detected by quantitative RT-PCR. Experiments were performed at least three times. ^∗P < 0.05 vs HBL-100 group. (D) Crude proteins were extracted from the cells and subjected to Western blotting with anti-KLF4 antibody. β-Actin was used as a control for equal protein loading. Left, Blots from a representative experiment. Right, Densitometry; results were normalized to β-actin. Bars represent the mean ± SEM from 3 independent experiments. ^∗P < 0.05 vs HBL-100 group.