title: New insights into the mechanisms involved in the pleiotropic actions of 1,25dihydroxyvitamin D3.
abstract: Vitamin D functions to regulate calcium homeostasis in intestine, kidney, and bone. Vitamin D deficiency during bone development causes rickets and in adults vitamin D deficiency, which has been shown to be common in the elderly population, can cause secondary hyperparathyroidism that can result in osteomalacia and increased risk of fracture. Recent evidence has suggested that vitamin D can have numerous other physiological functions including protection against certain autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis and inhibition of proliferation of a number of malignant cells including breast and prostate cancer cells. Exactly how vitamin D affects numerous different systems is a subject of continuing investigation. This article will review new developments related to the function and regulation of vitamin D target proteins in classic vitamin D target tissues that have provided novel insight into the mechanism of vitamin D action.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Ave., Newark, NJ 07103, USA. christak@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Christakos
authors.forename: Puneet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dhawan
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Xiaorong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Benn
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000502:physiology*; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D002117:Calcitriol; D002118:Calcium