The vitamin D receptor (VDR) mediates vitamin D signaling in numerous physiological and pharmacological processes, including bone and calcium metabolism, cellular growth and differentiation, immunity, and cardiovascular function. Although transcriptional regulation by VDR has been investigated intensively, an understanding of ligand-selective dynamic VDR conformations remains elusive. Here, we ...

The human vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a key nuclear receptor that binds nutritionally derived ligands and exerts bioeffects that contribute to bone mineral homeostasis, detoxification of exogenous and endogenous compounds, cancer prevention, and mammalian hair cycling. Liganded VDR modulates gene expression via heterodimerization with the retinoid X receptor and recruitment of coactivators or c...

Recent studies suggest that vitamin D may play a role in intestinal Na(+)-dependent phosphate transport adaptation to variable levels of dietary P(i). Therefore, the goal of the current study was to assess Na(+)-dependent P(i) cotransport activity in transgenic mice to determine whether vitamin D is an essential mediator of this process. Intestinal brush-border membrane (BBM), Na(+)-dependent P...

Hereditary vitamin D-resistant rickets (HVDRR) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the vitamin D receptor (VDR). We studied a young Saudi Arabian girl who exhibited the typical clinical features of HVDRR, but without alopecia. Analysis of her VDR gene revealed a homozygous T to C mutation in exon 7 that changed isoleucine to threonine at amino acid 268 (I268T). From crystal...

BACKGROUND Vitamin D plays a critical role in the regulation of growth and differentiation of squamous epithelium. The pleiotropic effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], include proliferative, pro-apoptotic, and pro-differentiation effects on numerous cell types. Although 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 is involved in the regulation and differentiation of epithelium, there is no data in th...

The relationship between age, vitamin D status, expression and functionality of the vitamin D receptor (VDR), and key genes in the vitamin D pathway in immune cells is unclear. We enrolled adults 50 to 69 years old (20 subjects) and 70+ (20 subjects) and measured: 1) 25(OH)D levels by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry; and 2) mRNA expression of VDR, 1α-OHase, 1,25D3-MARRS, TREM-1, catheli...

Vitamin D has pleiotropic effects on multiple tissues, including malignant tumors. Vitamin D inhibits breast cancer growth through activation of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and via classical nuclear signaling pathways. Here, we demonstrate that the VDR can also function in the absence of its ligand to control behaviour of human breast cancer cells both outside and within the bone microenvironm...

BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of heterogeneous, behaviorally defined disorders whereby currently no biological markers are common to all affected individuals. A deregulated immune response may be contributing to the etiology of ASD. The active metabolite of vitamin D₃ has an immunoregulatory role mediated by binding to the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in monocyte, macrophages...

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is the nuclear receptor for 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3)] that acts as a ligand-dependent transcription factor via combined contact with coactivator proteins (steroid receptor coactivator-1, transcriptional intermediary factor 2, and receptor associated coactivator 3) and specific DNA binding sites [vitamin D response elements (VDREs)]. Ligand-m...