KLF9 and pulmonary fibrosis: KLF9 has also been implicated in airway remodeling and inflammation in benign tracheal stenosis (92), as well as in asthma and pulmonary fibrosis, where it regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibrotic responses—processes particularly relevant to ARDS, especially during the fibroproliferative phase.