title: Vitamin D, muscle and bone: Integrating effects in development, aging and injury.
abstract: Beyond the established effects of muscle loading on bone, a complex network of hormones and growth factors integrates these adjacent tissues. One such hormone, vitamin D, exerts broad-ranging effects in muscle and bone calcium handling, differentiation and development. Vitamin D also modulates muscle and bone-derived hormones, potentially facilitating cross-talk between these tissues. In the clinical setting, vitamin D deficiency or mutations of the vitamin D receptor result in generalized atrophy of muscle and bone, suggesting coordinated effects of vitamin D at these sites. In this review, we discuss emerging evidence that vitamin D exerts specific effects throughout the life of the musculoskeletal system - in development, aging and injury. From this holistic viewpoint, we offer new insights into an old debate: whether vitamin D's effects in the musculoskeletal system are direct via local VDR signals or indirect via its systemic effects in calcium and phosphate homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: christian.girgis@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Christian M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Girgis
authors.affiliation: Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Baldock
authors.affiliation: Salk Institute of Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Downes
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D001846:Bone Development; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000293:injuries; D010710:Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010710:Phosphates; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol; C579457:VDR protein, human; D014807:Vitamin D; D002118:Calcium
keywords: Bone; Muscle; Osteoporosis; Sarcopenia; Vitamin D; Vitamin D receptor