Lack of association of Klotho gene variants with valvular and vascular calcification in Caucasians: a candidate gene study of the Framingham Offspring Cohort

Valvular and vascular calcification are important early aging phenotypes and represent risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Klotho is a gene primarily expressed in the kidney that has an important role in calcium-phosphate homeostasis. The functional KL-VS variant of Klotho has been associated with aging and cardiovascular disease in human studies, but its role in valvular and vascular calcification remains unknown. We performed a candidate gene study in the Framingham Offspring Cohort to evaluate the effect of KL-VS variant of the Klotho gene on valvular calcification.