Protein Klotho – Universal Regulator of Physiological Processes in the Organism
Anti-aging protein klotho is involved in multiple pathways related to different aspects of cell survival. Klotho deficiency coincides with a number of pathological conditions, such as nephropathy, diabetes, cancer, neurodegeneration, inflammatory diseases being among them. The deficiency may be a consequence of the disease itself, but it may contribute to its pathogenesis or its possible complications. Due to these findings klotho attracts significant attention as a potential therapeutic target. Current review is focused on clinically-relevant klotho-driven signaling pathways as well as on the mechanisms regulating klotho gene expression and possibilities to regulate them for therapeutic purposes.