INTRODUCTION Experimental studies suggest vitamin D inhibits ovarian carcinogenesis. Yet, epidemiologic studies of ovarian cancer risk and lifestyle correlates of vitamin D status, plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], or vitamin D receptor (VDR) variants have been inconsistent. OBJECTIVE To evaluate VDR genetic associations by high vs. low predicted 25(OH)D, scores derived from known determi...

The hygiene hypothesis postulates that higher levels of cleanliness and improper exposure to microorganisms early in childhood could disturb the intestinal microbiome resulting in abnormal immune responses. Recently, more attention has been put on how a lack of sun exposure and consequently vitamin D deficiency could lead to less immune tolerance and aberrant immune responses. Moreover, vitamin...

Vitamin D signaling modulates a variety of immune responses. Here, we assessed the role of vitamin D in immunity to experimental leishmaniasis infection in vitamin D receptor-deficient mice (VDRKO). We observed that VDRKO mice on a genetically resistant background have decreased Leishmania major-induced lesion development compared to wild-type (WT) mice; additionally, parasite loads in infected...

The hormonally active form of vitamin D, 1,25(OH)2D3, is involved in many biological functions throughout the body, such as regulation of calcium and phosphate homeostasis, bone remodeling and controlling cell proliferation and differentiation. Vitamin D receptor (VDR), a member of the nuclear hormone receptor (NHR) super family, mediates those genomic actions of 1,25 (OH)2D3 by actively repres...

The name “vitamin D” for the fat-soluble secosteroid cholecalciferol implies that humans need to take up this molecule via their diet since their own catabolism may not be able to produce it. In contrast, at UV-B (290e315 nm) exposure human skin is able to synthesize vitamin D on the basis of the cholesterol precursor 7dehydrocholesterol. Thus, insufficient exposure to sunlight in populations l...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of most common causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Recent studies have suggested that microbial and environmental factors including diet and lifestyle can impact on colon cancer development. Vitamin D deficiency and dysfunction of vitamin D receptor (VDR) also correlate with colon cancer. Moreover, leptin, a 16-kDa polypeptide, participates in the regulation...

1alpha,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1,25-(OH)(2)D(3)], the active metabolite of vitamin D(3), is known for the maintenance of mineral homeostasis and normal skeletal architecture. However, apart from these traditional calcium-related actions, 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) and its synthetic analogs are being increasingly recognized for their potent antiproliferative, prodifferentiative, and immunomodulatory act...

The "nonclassic" role of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) has been recently widely recognized. In type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), it plays an immunomodulatory role through the vitamin D receptor (VDR) present on pancreatic and immune cells. Specific VDR allelic variants have been associated with T1D in many countries. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency has been prevalent in T1D, and the se...

We determined the association of vitamin D deficiency and the FokI polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene in 760 patients who underwent angiography due to suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Angiography and the Rentrop scoring system were used to classify the severity of CAD in each patient and to grade the extent of collateral development, respectively. Polymerase chain reactio...

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) genotype was determined in 66 Japanese patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). In contrast to previous report showing an association between VDR genotype bb and the development of pHPT in a Swedish population, we did not find any differences in the frequencies of the VDR genotypes between pHPT and the control. The bone mineral density in the radius was signifi...