Migration of epithelial cells is critical for normal homeostasis in gut and skin, but the factors
regulating this process are not completely understood. The zinc finger transcription factor
Klf5 (IKLF; BTEB2) is highly expressed in proliferating cells of esophagus, skin, and other
organs. We hypothesized that Klf5 regulates keratinocyte migration via the integrin-linked
kinase (ILK), which, like Klf5, is localized to basal keratinocytes. We stably transduced
mouse primary esophageal keratinocytes to overexpress Klf5 or small interfering RNA …