No Evidence That Genetic Variation at the Klotho Locus Is Associated With Longevity in Caucasians from the Newcastle 85+Study and the UK Biobank

The demographics of Western populations are changing, with an increase in the proportion of older adults. There is evidence to suggest that genetic factors may influence the aging process: studying these may lead to interventions to help individuals live a longer and healthier life. Evidence from several groups indicates that Klotho (KL), a gene encoding a single-pass transmembrane protein that acts as an FGF23 co-receptor, may be associated with longevity and healthy aging. We aimed to explore this area further by comparing the genotype counts in 642 long-lived individuals from the Newcastle 85+ Study with 18 295 middle-aged Newcastle-based controls from the UK Biobank to test whether variants at the KL gene locus are over- or under-represented in older individuals. If KL is associated with longevity, then we would expect the genotype counts to differ between the 2 cohorts. We found that the rs2283368 CC genotype and the rs9536338 C allele, but not the KL-VS haplotype, were associated with reaching very old age. However, these associations did not replicate in the remainder of the UK Biobank cohort. Thus, our results do not reliably support the role of KL as a longevity factor.

Automated summary

The demographics of Western populations are changing, with an increase in the proportion of older adults. Genetic factors may influence the aging process, which could help extend lifespan and promote healthy aging. A study comparing the genotype counts of long-lived individuals with middle-aged controls found an association between variants at the KL gene locus and reaching old age, although this association was not replicated in a larger sample.