FGF23 is a unique member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family because it acts as a hormone that derives from bone and regulates kidney functions, whereas most other family members are thought to regulate various cell functions at a local level. The renotropic activity of circulating FGF23 indicates the possible presence of an FGF23-specific receptor in the kidney. Here we show that a previously undescribed receptor conversion by Klotho, a senescence-related molecule, generates the FGF23 receptor. Using a renal homogenate, we found that Klotho binds to FGF23. Forced expression of Klotho enabled the high-affinity binding of FGF23 to the cell surface and restored the ability of a renal cell line to respond to FGF23 treatment. Moreover, FGF23 incompetence was induced by injecting wild-type mice with an anti-Klotho monoclonal antibody. Thus, Klotho is essential for endogenous FGF23 function. Because Klotho alone seemed to be incapable of intracellular signalling, we searched for other components of the FGF23 receptor and found FGFR1(IIIc), which was directly converted by Klotho into the FGF23 receptor. Thus, the concerted action of Klotho and FGFR1(IIIc) reconstitutes the FGF23 receptor. These findings provide insights into the diversity and specificity of interactions between FGF and FGF receptors.

Results: An injection of recombinant FGF-23 caused a reduction in serum phosphate and 1,25(OH) 2 D levels. A decrease in serum phosphate was first observed 9 h after the injection and was accompanied with a reduction in renal mRNA and protein levels for the type IIa sodium-phosphate cotransporter (NaPi-2a). There was no increase in the parathyroid hormone (PTH) level throughout the experiment, and hypophosphatemia was reproduced by FGF-23 in parathyroidectomized rats. Before this hypophosphatemic effect, the serum 1,25(OH) 2 D level had already descended at 3 h and reached the nadir 9 h after the administration.

Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is one of the paraneoplastic diseases characterized by hypophosphatemia caused by renal phosphate wasting. Because removal of responsible tumors normalizes phosphate metabolism, an unidentified humoral phosphaturic factor is believed to be responsible for this syndrome. To identify the causative factor of TIO, we obtained cDNA clones that were abundantly expressed only in a tumor causing TIO and constructed tumor-specific cDNA contigs. Based on the sequence of one major contig, we cloned 2,270-bp cDNA, which turned out to encode fibroblast growth factor 23 ( T umor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is one of the hypophosphatemic diseases characterized by renal phosphate wasting. Because removal of responsible tumors normalizes phosphate metabolism, an unknown phosphaturic factor sometimes called phosphatonin is believed to be responsible for this paraneoplastic syndrome (1, 2). Although several groups have reported inhibitory activity of renal phosphate transport in conditioned media of tumor cells causing TIO (3-6), the responsible factor for TIO has not been identified. Similar biochemical findings to TIO also are observed in X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets͞ osteomalacia (XLH), its murine homologue, Hyp, and autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR) (7). In addition, several lines of evidence indicate that XLH and Hyp are caused by a humoral mechanism (7-10). Therefore, it is possible that TIO and XLH derive from a common or at least very similar humoral factor(s). Thus, identification of this phosphaturic factor causing TIO is indispensable for understanding normal phosphate metabolism and pathogenesis of several hypophosphatemic diseases. In this report, we describe the cloning of a humoral factor from a TIO tumor and show that this factor has the ability to rapidly induce hypophosphatemia and reproduce clinical, biochemical, and histological features of TIO in vivo. MethodsDifferential cDNA Screening of TIO and Adjacent Normal Bone Tissue.

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