title: Thalamic calcification in vitamin D receptor knockout mice.
abstract: Vitamin D is a steroid hormone with many important functions in the brain, mediated through the nuclear vitamin D receptor. Here, we report that aging nuclear vitamin D receptor knockout mice demonstrate a symmetric thalamic calcification with numerous Ca/P-containing laminated bodies. These results are consistent with clinical findings showing brain calcification in patients with vitamin D deficiency. Our results suggest that nuclear vitamin D receptor deficiency leads to brain mineralization in vitamin D receptor knockout mice, which may represent an experimental model of intracranial calcification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Medical School, University of Tampere, Finland. avkalueff@inbox.ru
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalueff
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Loseva
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haapasalo
authors.forename: Immo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rantala
authors.forename: Jaakko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keranen
authors.forename: Yan-Ru
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minasyan
authors.forename: Tiina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Keisala
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miettinen
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuuslahti
authors.forename: Pentii
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tuchimaa
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002114:Calcinosis; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000097:blood; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol / Q000172:deficiency*; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission / Q000379:methods; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol; D010758:Phosphorus; D002118:Calcium