Figure 8.

Schematic summarizing the findings described in this study. Mouse CE-specific ablation of Klf4 resulted in disruption/downregulation of ABP core complex components and Cdc42 altering actin cytoskeletal organization and favoring the vertical plane of cell division (VPD) relative to the CE basement membrane compared with the horizontal plane of division (HPD) favored in the control. Downregulation of ABP core complex components in the human OSSN samples was coupled with decreased expression of KLF4. These changes are shown in greater detail in the lower panels. By demonstrating that Klf4 ablation affects CE expression of ABP markers and Rho family GTPase Cdc42, cytoskeletal actin organization and the plane of cell division, and that KLF4 is downregulated in OSSN tissues that display EMT and lack ABP, these results elucidate the key integrative role of KLF4 in coordinating CE cell polarity and plane of division, the loss of which results in OSSN.