Vitamin D receptor


The vitamin D receptor, also known as the calcitriol receptor and as NR1I1, is a member of the nuclear receptor family of transcription factors. Calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, binds to the VDR, which then forms a heterodimer with the retinoid-X receptor. This then binds to hormone response elements on DNA resulting in expression or transrepression of specific gene products. The VDR not only regulates transcriptional responses but also involved in microRNA-directed post transcriptional mechanisms. In humans, the vitamin D receptor is encoded by the VDR gene.
Glucocorticoids are known to decrease expression of VDR, which is expressed in most tissues of the body and regulate intestinal transport of calcium, iron and other minerals.

Function

The VDR gene encodes the nuclear hormone receptor for vitamin D3. This receptor also functions as a receptor for the secondary bile acid lithocholic acid. The receptor belongs to the family of trans-acting transcriptional regulatory factors and shows similarity of sequence to the steroid and thyroid hormone receptors.
Downstream targets of this nuclear hormone receptor are involved principally in mineral metabolism though the receptor regulates a variety of other metabolic pathways, such as those involved in the immune response and cancer.
Mutations in this gene are associated with type II vitamin D-resistant rickets. A single nucleotide polymorphism in the initiation codon results in an alternate translation start site three codons downstream. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding the same protein. VDR gene variants seem to influence many biological endpoints, including those related to osteoporosis
The vitamin D receptor plays an important role in regulating the hair cycle. Loss of VDR is associated with hair loss in experimental animals.
Experimental studies have shown that the unliganded VDR interacts with regulatory regions in cWnt and sonic hedgehog target genes and is required for the induction of these pathways during the postnatal hair cycle.
These studies have revealed novel actions of the unliganded VDR in regulating the post-morphogenic hair cycle.

Interactions

Vitamin D receptor has been shown to interact with