1α,25(OH)2Vitamin D3-Regulated Expression of the Eukaryotic Genome

Abstract

1α,25(OH)2vitamin‐D3, [1α,25(OH)2D3] is a potent steroid hormone that produces a wide array of biologic effects in a variety of target tissues within the body through its ability to modulate gene transcription of specific target genes. Evidence for transcription regulation of a specific gene typically includes 1α,25(OH)2D3‐induced modulation in mRNA levels. Additionally, evidence may include measurements of transcription and or the presence of a vitamin D response element within the promoter region of the gene. To date, over 50 genes have been reported to be transcriptionally regulated by 1α,25(OH)2D3‐ We present a current list of these genes and the evidence supporting their inclusion on the list.

Calcitriol Upregulates Open Chromatin and Elongation Markers at Functional Vitamin D Response Elements in the Distal Part of the 5-Lipoxygenase Gene

“…In many cases, there are only weak effects of calcitriol on transcription initiation that correspond to rather strong changes in steady-state mRNA levels, suggesting that upregulation of mRNA expression by calcitriol does not generally occur on the level of transcription initiation. 14,29 In the case of alkaline phosphatase, the accumulation of mature alkaline phosphatase mRNA was attributed to the stabilization of newly synthesized transcripts. 30 Yet, increased stability of 5-LO transcripts due to calcitriol/TGFβ treatment can be excluded since the 5-LO mRNA half-life was not different in undifferentiated and differentiated MM6 cells.…”

“…13 Regarding the induction of gene expression by calcitriol in general, only a few investigations addressed the determination of promoter activity by nuclear runoff assays. 14 In most cases, the vitamin D effects on promoter activity were much lower as compared to the changes in steady-state mRNA levels. This suggests that vitamin D signaling is not restricted to transcript initiation and involves additional steps such as transcript elongation, maturation, and splicing.…”

The vitamin D receptor geneBsmI polymorphism is not associated with anthropometric and biochemical parameters describing metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women

“…As well as having multiple effects on calcium metabolism, the vitamin D endocrine system regulates cellular differentiation and replication in many target tissues, including pancreas and adipose tissue [1][2][3][4]. Vitamin D plays an important role in the mechanism of insulin release and in the maintenance of glucose tolerance, which may be speculated from the finding of a nuclear localization of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 (1,25-(OH) 2 D 3 ) in pancreatic islets [3] and from the fact that vitamin D deficiency in experimental animals and humans is associated with impaired insulin secretion, which is normalized by 1,25-(OH) 2 D 3 administration [5,6].…”

Review and meta-analysis on vitamin D receptor polymorphisms and cancer risk

“…Numerous studies in vitro and in vivo have shown proapoptotic and anticancer effects upon binding of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D to the VDR for many different types of cancers (1,10). In fact VDR expression has been described in many types of cancer cells, including cells derived from tumors of the breast, prostate, pancreas, colon, bladder, cervix, thyroid, pituitary, skin (squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma), glioma, neuroblastoma, leukemia and lymphoma cells (11)(12)(13)(14). The epidemiological literature on vitamin D and cancer has been recently reviewed (15).…”