Recombinant Mouse Klotho beta Protein, CF

Klotho beta, a divergent structural member of the glycosidase I superfamily, is expressed primarily in the liver and pancreas, with lower expression in adipose tissue (1). Like Klotho, Klotho beta facilitates binding between FGF-19 subfamily members and their receptors via formation of a ternary complex (2). The Klotho beta mediated interaction of FGF-15 (human FGF-19) with FGF Receptor 4 in the liver negatively regulates bile acid synthesis by controlling the secretion of two key bile acid synthase genes, cholesterol 7-alpha hydroxylase (Cyp7a1) and sterol 12-alpha hydroxylase (Cyp8b1) (2-4). Klotho beta is also a cofactor for the interaction of FGF-21 with FGF Receptor 1c in adipocytes, which allows FGF-21 to stimulate GLUT1 expression, up-regulating adipocyte insulin-dependent glucose uptake (2-3, 5). The 1043 amino acid (aa) type I transmembrane protein is composed of a 51 aa signal sequence, a 943 aa extracellular domain (ECD) containing two glycosidase-like regions, a 21 aa transmembrane domain, and 28 aa intracellular tail. Since Klotho-related proteins lack critical active site Glu residues present in beta-glycosidases, it was initially unclear whether they were functional enzymes (1, 6). However, glucuronidase activity has since been demonstrated for Klotho, indicating that physiologically relevant enzymatic activity for Klotho  beta is also possible (7). The extracellular domain shares 79%, 79%, 80% and 67% identity with human, bovine, canine and rat Klotho beta, respectively. The low identity with rat reflects aa discordance within rodent ECD.