In only a few years, the discovery and characterization of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is drastically changing our understanding of disordered mineral metabolism in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The journey of FGF23 from anonymity to center stage began with studies of a family of rare diseases that share a common phenotype, including hypophosphatemia, isolated urinary phosphate wasting, rickets or osteomalacia, and insufficient calcitriol production for the degree of hypophosphatemia. The main diseases in the group are X-linked hypophosphatemia (the most common), autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets, autosomal recessive hypophosphatemic rickets, fibrous dysplasia, and tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO; a sporadic form). 1,2 With no known cause for the diseases, overexpression of one or more circulating phosphaturic factors, termed "phosphatonins" was hypothesized.Genetic studies provided the breakthrough. Positional cloning revealed missense mutations in the gene encoding FGF23 on chromosome 12 in each of four families with autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets, encompassing 26 affected individuals. 3 These mutations were later shown to protect FGF23 from proteolytic cleavage. 4,5 Confirmation of the causal role of FGF23 in the hypophosphatemic disorders came in 2001, when high expression of FGF23 was isolated from tumor cells from patients with TIO. 6 The development of high-precision assays for measuring FGF23 confirmed elevated circulating levels in patients with TIO, X-linked hypophosphatemia, and ESRD compared with healthy individuals (Figure 1) 7,8 and opened the door to a new era of human physiologic research on FGF23.
NORMAL FGF23 PHYSIOLOGYFGF23 is primarily secreted by osteocytes 9 and has several endocrine effects on mineral metabolism (Figure 2): FGF23 induces phosphaturia by decreasing phosphate reabsorption in the proximal tubule through downregulation of luminal sodium-phosphate co-transporters 10,11 ; FGF23 reduces circulating levels of calcitriol by inhibiting renal 1-␣ hydroxylase 10,11 and stimulating 24-hydroxylase, 11 which catalyzes the initial step in vitamin D degradation; and FGF23 inhibits secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH). 12 These effects are dependent on the presence of klotho, which is highly expressed in the kidney and the parathyroid glands and acts as a co-receptor for FGF23 by markedly increasing the affinity of FGF23 for ubiquitous FGF receptors. 13,14 These aspects of FGF23 physiology were demonstrated in studies of animals that were administered FGF23, 4,10,12,15 transgenic mice that overexpress FGF23, 16 -19 and klotho 20 and FGF23 null mice. 21 Physiologic studies of normal humans were confirmatory, 22-24 as were observations from patients with
ABSTRACTThe discovery of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) as the causal factor in the pathogenesis of rare forms of hypophosphatemic rickets is rapidly reshaping our understanding of disordered mineral metabolism in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Excessive production of FGF23 by osteocytes is an appropriat...