Comment: Longevity gene KLOTHO may play a role in Alzheimer disease

The KLOTHO gene codes for a transmembrane protein that also has 2 soluble forms. Its discovery in mice in 1997 was highly exciting because KLOTHO knockout mice had a short lifespan and showed a phenotype reminiscent of human aging.1 In humans, a KLOTHO polymorphism called KL-VS is associated with extreme longevity.2