收稿日期: 2025-10-27
修回日期: 2026-01-04
录用日期: 2026-01-05
网络出版日期: 2026-04-25
基金资助
宣武医院汇智人才项目(HZ2025PYDTR006)
The effect of KL-VS gene on medial temporal lobe volume in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A study based on MRI
Received date: 2025-10-27
Revised date: 2026-01-04
Accepted date: 2026-01-05
Online published: 2026-04-25
目的:基于磁共振成像(magnetic resonance imaging,MRI),探讨Klotho基因中KL-VS功能型单倍型杂合基因(KL-VShet)对阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer’s disease,AD)进展中最早发生异常的脑区内侧颞叶亚区结构的影响,及其与AD病理相关认知功能下降的关系。方法:纳入AD神经影像学计划数据库中的48名受试者(2018年10月至2024年6月间,均具有全基因组关联分析数据及高分辨率磁共振数据),其中16人为KL-VShet携带者(KL-VShet+)[8名认知功能正常,8名存在记忆性轻度认知障碍(mild cognitive impairment,MCI)];32名为非携带者KL-VShet-(16名认知功能正常,16名存在MCI)。采用海马亚区自动分割软件,分析结构MRI数据,计算内侧颞叶亚区体积;利用方差分析比较组间内侧颞叶亚区体积、认知功能及病理蛋白[β-淀粉样蛋白(amyloid β-protein,Aβ)/tau蛋白]差异,并使用SPSS 27(PROCESS v4.1)软件进行交互调节效应分析。结果:KL-VShet+者与KL-VShet-者的内侧颞叶亚区体积、认知功能及病理蛋白(Aβ/tau蛋白)负荷存在显著差异(P<0.05)。MCI组,KL-VShet+的左侧海马亚区阿蒙氏角(cornu Ammonis,CA)3(79.80±29.75 mm3)及齿状回(755.19±186.68 mm3)体积较KL-VShet-(52.46±15.53 mm3、710.09±146.09 mm3)显著增大(P<0.05);KL-VShet +者的tau蛋白沉积较KL-VShet-者显著减低(P<0.05),Aβ蛋白沉积有更低的趋势,但未发现具有统计学差异(P=0.054)。交互调节分析显示,在KL-VShet+者中,多个内侧颞叶亚区体积对AD相关病理与认知表现之间的关联具有显著正向调节作用,且该效应主要体现在记忆评分。其中,左侧 CA3 区域体积对于 Aβ蛋白沉积与记忆功能评分之间关系、双侧多个内侧颞叶亚区体积对tau 蛋白沉积与记忆评分之间的关系表现出显著调节作用(交互项β范围为0.000 5~0.074 5,95%置信区间为-0.002 0~0.172 3,P<0.05)。结论:KL-VShet+基因产物可能通过减缓海马等内侧颞叶区域体积萎缩,减轻MCI患者病理蛋白沉积对认知功能的损害,从而发挥神经保护作用。KL-VShet可能作为AD治疗的新靶点。
刘小草 , 曾庆泽 , 李依霞 , 李凯程 , 罗骁 , 闫少珍 , 卢洁 . KL-VS基因对轻度认知障碍患者内侧颞叶体积影响的磁共振研究[J]. 诊断学理论与实践, 2026 , 25(02) : 174 -182 . DOI: 10.16150/j.1671-2870.2026.02.008
Objective Based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), this study aims to explore the impact of the KL-VS functional haplotype heterozygous gene (KL-VShet+) in the Klotho gene on the subregion structure of the medial temporal lobe,which presents abnormal in the brain region in the earliest progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), as well as its relationship with the decline in cognitive function associated with AD pathology. Methods A total of 48 participants from the AD Neuroimaging Initiative database (with genome-wide association analysis data and high-resolution magnetic resonance ima-ging data from October 2018 to June 2024) were enrolled, comprising 16 KL-VShet+ carriers [8 cognitively normal, CN; 8 amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), aMCI] and 32 non-carriers (KL-VShet-) (16 CN and 16 aMCI). Structural MRI data were analyzed using automatic segmentation of hippocampal subfields to calculate medial temporal lobe subregion volumes. Group differences in medial temporal lobe subregion volume, cognitive function, and pathological proteins (amyloid β- protein, Aβ/tau protein) were compared using analysis of variance. Moderation analysis was conducted with SPSS 27 (PROCESS v4.1). Results Significant differences were observed between KL-VShet+ and KL-VShet- individuals in medial temporal lobe subregion volumes, cognitive function, and pathological protein (Aβ/tau) burden (P<0.05). In the MCI group, KL-VShet+ carriers showed significantly larger volumes in the left hippocampal subfield cornu ammonis 3 (CA3) (79.80±29.75 mm3) and dentate gyrus (755.19±186.68 mm3) compared to KL-VShet- individuals (52.46±15.53 mm3, 710.09±146.09 mm3) (P<0.05). Tau protein deposition was significantly lower in KL-VShet+ individuals than in KL-VShet- individuals (P<0.05), and Aβ deposition showed a lower trend, although the difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.054). Moderation analysis showed that, among KL-VShet+ individuals, the volumes of multiple medial temporal lobe subregions had significant positive moderating effects on the relationship between AD-related pathology and cognitive performance, mainly reflected in memory scores. The volume of the left CA3 subregion significantly moderated the relationship between Aβ deposition and memory function scores, while the volumes of multiple bilateral medial temporal lobe subregions significantly moderated the relationship between tau deposition and memory scores (interaction term β ranged from 0.000 5 to 0.074 5, and the 95% confidence interval ranged from -0.002 0 to 0.172 3, P<0.05). Conclusions The KL-VShet+ gene product may exert a neuroprotective effect by slowing down the volume atrophy of medial temporal lobe regions, such as the hippocampus, thereby mitigating the damage to cognitive function caused by pathological protein deposition in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). KL-VShet may serve as a novel therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
| [1] | 2023 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures[J]. Alzheimers Dement, 2023, 19(4):1598-1695. |
| [2] | DUBAL D B, YOKOYAMA J S, ZHU L, et al. Life extension factor klotho enhances cognition[J]. Cell Rep, 2014, 7(4):1065-1076. |
| [3] | LEON J, MORENO A J, GARAY B I, et al. Peripheral elevation of a klotho fragment enhances brain function and resilience in young, aging, and α-synuclein transgenic mice[J]. Cell Rep, 2017, 20(6):1360-1371. |
| [4] | LATHE R, ST CLAIR D. Programmed ageing: decline of stem cell renewal, immunosenescence, and Alzheimer's disease[J]. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc, 2023, 98(4):1424-1458. |
| [5] | WALCZAK K, KO?ODZIEJCZYK W, PSZCZO?OWSKA M, et al. Klotho protein in Alzheimer's disease: Diet leading to immortality?[J]. J Alzheimers Dis, 2025, 106(3):823-831. |
| [6] | ABRAHAM C R, MULLEN P C, TUCKER-ZHOU T, et al. Klotho is a neuroprotective and cognition-enhancing protein[J]. Vitam Horm, 2016,101:215-238. |
| [7] | BELLOY M E, NAPOLIONI V, HAN S S, et al. Association of KLOTHO-VS heterozygosity with risk of Alzheimer disease in individuals who carry APOE4[J]. JAMA Neurol, 2020, 77(7):849-862. |
| [8] | ERICKSON C M, SCHULTZ S A, OH J M, et al. KLOTHO heterozygosity attenuates APOE4-related amyloid burden in preclinical AD[J]. Neurology, 2019, 92(16):e1878-e1889. |
| [9] | KATONOVA A, ANDEL R, JURASOVA V, et al. Associations of KLOTHO-VS heterozygosity and α-klotho protein with cerebrospinal fluid Alzheimer's disease biomarkers[J]. J Alzheimers Dis, 2025, 105(1):159-171. |
| [10] | CHEN X R, SHAO Y, SADOWSKI M J, et al. Interaction between KLOTHO-VS heterozygosity and APOE ε4 allele predicts rate of cognitive decline in late-onset Alzheimer's disease[J]. Genes (Basel), 2023, 14(4):917. |
| [11] | SORRENTINO F, FENOGLIO C, SACCHI L, et al. KLOTHO gene expression is decreased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with Alzheimer's di-sease and frontotemporal dementia[J]. J Alzheimers Dis, 2023, 94(3):1225-1231. |
| [12] | YOKOYAMA J S, MARX G, BROWN J A, et al. Systemic klotho is associated with KLOTHO variation and predicts intrinsic cortical connectivity in healthy human aging[J]. Brain Imaging Behav, 2017, 11(2):391-400. |
| [13] | DE VRIES C F, STAFF R T, HARRIS S E, et al. Klotho, APOEε4, cognitive ability, brain size, atrophy, and survival: a study in the Aberdeen Birth Cohort of 1936[J]. Neurobiol Aging, 2017,55:91-98. |
| [14] | CAI Y, DU J, LI A, et al. Initial levels of β-amyloid and tau deposition have distinct effects on longitudinal tau accumulation in Alzheimer's disease[J]. Alzheimers Res Ther, 2023, 15(1):30. |
| [15] | 李雨航, 肖世富, 岳玲. 轻度行为损害与阿尔茨海默病相关研究的进展[J]. 诊断学理论与实践, 2025, 24(5):548-554. |
| LI Y H, XIAO S F, YUE L. Advances in research on association between mild behavioral impairment and Alzheimer's disease[J]. J Diagn Concepts Pract, 2025, 24(5):548-554. | |
| [16] | BERRON D, VAN WESTEN D, OSSENKOPPELE R, et al. Medial temporal lobe connectivity and its associations with cognition in early Alzheimer's disease[J]. Brain, 2020, 143(4):1233-1248. |
| [17] | HARRISON T M, MAASS A, ADAMS J N, et al. Tau deposition is associated with functional isolation of the hippocampus in aging[J]. Nat Commun, 2019, 10(1):4900. |
| [18] | GORDON B A, BLAZEY T M, SU Y, et al. Spatial patterns of neuroimaging biomarker change in individuals from families with autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease: a longitudinal study[J]. Lancet Neurol, 2018, 17(3):241-250. |
| [19] | DRISCOLL I F, LOSE S, MA Y, et al. KLOTHO KL-VS heterozygosity is associated with diminished age-related neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and synaptic dysfunction in older cognitively unimpaired adults[J]. Alzheimers Dement, 2024, 20(8):5347-5356. |
| [20] | JACK C R JR, BENNETT D A, BLENNOW K, et al. NIA-AA Research Framework: Toward a biological definition of Alzheimer's disease[J]. Alzheimers Dement, 2018, 14(4):535-562. |
| [21] | BRAAK H, ALAFUZOFF I, ARZBERGER T, et al. Sta-ging of Alzheimer disease-associated neurofibrillary patho-logy using paraffin sections and immunocytochemistry[J]. Acta Neuropathol, 2006, 112(4):389-404. |
| [22] | GIULIANO A, DONATELLI G, COSOTTINI M, et al. Hippocampal subfields at ultra high field MRI: An overview of segmentation and measurement methods[J]. Hippocampus, 2017, 27(5):481-494. |
| [23] | YOKOYAMA J S, STURM V E, BONHAM L W, et al. Variation in longevity gene KLOTHO is associated with greater cortical volumes[J]. Ann Clin Transl Neurol, 2015, 2(3):215-230. |
| [24] | ZHAO Y, ZENG C Y, LI X H, et al. Klotho overexpression improves amyloid-β clearance and cognition in the APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease[J]. Aging Cell, 2020, 19(10): e13239. |
| [25] | ULLAH M, SUN Z. Klotho deficiency accelerates stem cells aging by impairing telomerase activity[J]. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, 2019, 74(9):1396-1407. |
| [26] | ZENG Q, LI K, LUO X, et al. Distinct atrophy pattern of hippocampal subfields in patients with progressive and stable mild cognitive impairment: A longitudinal MRI study[J]. J Alzheimers Dis, 2021, 79(1):237-247. |
| [27] | ROIG-SORIANO J, EDO á, VERDéS S, et al. Long-term effects of s-KL treatment in wild-type mice: Enhancing longevity, physical well-being, and neurological resilience[J]. Mol Ther, 2025, 33(8):4007. |
| [28] | HUIJBERS W, MORMINO E C, SCHULTZ A P, et al. Amyloid-β deposition in mild cognitive impairment is associated with increased hippocampal activity, atrophy and clinical progression[J]. Brain, 2015, 138(Pt 4):1023-1035. |
| [29] | KAZIM S F, SEO J H, BIANCHI R, et al. Neuronal network excitability in Alzheimer's disease: The puzzle of similar versus divergent roles of amyloid β and tau[J]. eNeuro, 2021, 8(2):ENEURO.0418-20.2020. |
| [30] | KANG D W, CHOI W H, JUNG W S, et al. Impact of amyloid burden on regional functional synchronization in the cognitively normal older adults[J]. Sci Rep, 2017, 7(1):14690. |
| [31] | DAS S R, PLUTA J, MANCUSO L, et al. Increased functional connectivity within medial temporal lobe in mild cognitive impairment[J]. Hippocampus, 2013, 23(1):1-6. |
| [32] | TAHMASIAN M, PASQUINI L, SCHERR M, et al. The lower hippocampus global connectivity, the higher its local metabolism in Alzheimer disease[J]. Neurology, 2015, 84(19):1956-1963. |
| [33] | PATTEN K T, VALENZUELA A E, WALLIS C, et al. The effects of chronic exposure to ambient traffic-related air pollution on Alzheimer's disease phenotypes in wildtype and genetically predisposed male and female rats[J]. Environ Health Perspect, 2021, 129(5):57005. |
/
| 〈 |
|
〉 |