title: Vitamin D regulation of immune function in the gut: why do T cells have vitamin D receptors?
abstract: Low vitamin D status is associated with an increased risk of immune-mediated diseases like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in humans. Experimentally vitamin D status is a factor that shapes the immune response. Animals that are either vitamin D deficient or vitamin D receptor (VDR) deficient are prone to develop IBD. Conventional T cells develop normally in VDR knockout (KO) mice but over-produce IFN-γ and IL-17. Naturally occurring FoxP3+ regulatory T cells are present in normal numbers in VDR KO mice and function as well as wildtype T regs. Vitamin D and the VDR are required for the development and function of two regulatory populations of T cells that require non-classical MHC class 1 for development. The two vitamin D dependent cell types are the iNKT cells and CD4/CD8αα intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL). Protective immune responses that depend on iNKT cells or CD8αα IEL are therefore impaired in the vitamin D or VDR deficient host and the mice are more susceptible to immune-mediated diseases in the gut.
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Immunology and Infectious Disease, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States.
authors.forename: Jot Hui
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ooi
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Margherita T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Cantorna
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology*; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol; D014807:Vitamin D; D002117:Calcitriol
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