Klotho, an anti-senescence related gene, is frequently inactivated through promoter hypermethylation in colorectal cancer

The potential anti-senescence gene Klotho (KL) has been recently found to participate in the progression of several different human cancers including breast, lung, and cervical cancer. In this current study, we identified KL as a candidate tumor suppressor gene silenced through promoter hypermethylation in colorectal cancer (CRC). KL gene expression is found to be absent or reduced in colon cancer cell lines (5/6, 83.3%), which can be reversed by treatment with demethylation agent 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (Aza), but not HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A. In addition, KL expression is markedly downregulated in colorectal carcinoma tissues when compared to the adjacent nontumor tissues (n = 25, p < 0.001). The methylation of the KL gene promoter was frequently detected in primary tumor tissues (34/40, 85%) when compared with adjacent nontumor colon tissues. Furthermore, ectopic expression of KL led to the cell proliferation inhibition of colon cancer cell lines via the induction of cell apoptosis and S-phase cell cycle arrest. Taken together, our results suggest that KL is inactivated through promoter hypermethylation and potentially functions as a tumor suppressor gene in CRC.