fig6

Figure 6. KLF5 enhances stemness and oxaliplatin resistance in KRAS-mutant CRC. (A and B) Sphere formation assays demonstrating KLF5-dependent regulation of cancer stem cell properties; (C and D) Dose-response curves of oxaliplatin treatment in KRAS-mutant CRC, highlighting KLF5-mediated drug resistance; (E) Flow cytometry analysis of stemness-related surface markers (CD133, CD166, and CD44) in CRC cells; (F) RNA-seq profiling of stemness- and apoptosis-associated genes altered by KLF5 knockdown in KRAS-mutant CRC cells; (G and H) Western blot analysis of stemness-related proteins (LGR5, Nanog, SOX2), and anti-apoptotic signaling molecules (XIAP and Bcl-2) in KRAS-mutant CRC cells, with GAPDH as a loading control. Data represent the mean ± SD, Student’s t-test. ^*P < 0.05; ^**P < 0.01; ^***P < 0.001. KLF5: Krüppel-like factor 5; CRC: colorectal cancer; RNA-seq: RNA sequencing; LGR5: leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5; SOX2: SRY-box transcription factor 2; XIAP: X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein; Bcl-2: B-cell lymphoma 2; GAPDH: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; SD: standard deviation.