Klotho (KL) is an age-regulating protein named after the Greek goddess who spins the
thread of life. Mice deficient in KL are normal throughout development, but rapidly
degenerate and display a variety of aging-associated abnormalities that eventually lead to
decreased life expectancy. While multiple genetic association studies have identified KL
polymorphisms linked with changes in disease risk, there is a paucity of concrete
mechanistic data to explain how these amino acid substitutions alter KL protein function. The …