KLF4 and diabetic kidney disease: In mouse models with diabetic nephropathy, the reduction in the expression of Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) was observed in podocytes, coinciding with the onset and exacerbation of proteinuria.243 The expression of KLF4 was associated with a decrease in methylation levels of renal unit promoters and promoters of other epithelial markers, simultaneously increasing the methylation of promoters of genes encoding mesenchymal markers, thereby reducing proteinuria.