Is osteocyte Klotho bad for bone health?

ABSTRACT

The recent identification of αKlotho protein (Klotho) in osteocytes led to the generation of an experimental mouse model with osteocyte-specific Klotho ablation. This enabled Komaba et al. to assess the contribution to bone structure and function of osteocyte Klotho per se as compared with that of the systemic fibroblast growth factor 23-Klotho axis. Surprisingly, unlike the osteopenia and low bone turnover of systemic Klotho deletion, osteocyte-specific Klotho ablation resulted in increased osteoblastic activity and bone formation rate.