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Review
. 2021 Oct 19:12:755366.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.755366. eCollection 2021.

Klotho as Potential Autophagy Regulator and Therapeutic Target

Affiliations
Review

Klotho as Potential Autophagy Regulator and Therapeutic Target

Hongjing Zhou et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

The protein Klotho can significantly delay aging, so it has attracted widespread attention. Abnormal downregulation of Klotho has been detected in several aging-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, kidney injury, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), vascular disease, muscular dystrophy and diabetes. Conversely, many exogenous and endogenous factors, several drugs, lifestyle changes and genetic manipulations were reported to exert therapeutic effects through increasing Klotho expression. In recent years, Klotho has been identified as a potential autophagy regulator. How Klotho may contribute to reversing the effects of aging and disease became clearer when it was linked to autophagy, the process in which eukaryotic cells clear away dysfunctional proteins and damaged organelles: the abovementioned diseases involve abnormal autophagy. Interestingly, growing evidence indicates that Klotho plays a dual role as inducer or inhibitor of autophagy in different physiological or pathological conditions through its influence on IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, Beclin 1 expression and activity, as well as aldosterone level, which can help restore autophagy to beneficial levels. The present review examines the role of Klotho in regulating autophagy in Alzheimer's disease, kidney injury, cancer, COPD, vascular disease, muscular dystrophy and diabetes. Targeting Klotho may provide a new perspective for preventing and treating aging-related diseases.

Keywords: alzhaimer’s disease; autophagy; cancer; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; kidney injury; klotho; muscular dystrophy; vascular disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Klotho as potential autophagy regulator and therapeutic target. The expression of Klotho can be upregulated by many exogenous and endogenous factors, some drugs, lifestyle changes and gene technology. Klotho plays a dual role in regulating autophagy (induction or inhibition) through its influence on the IGF-1/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, Beclin 1 expression and activity, and aldosterone level. Klotho exhibits protective effects in many diseases, making it a potential therapeutic target.

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