Vitamin D receptor regulates transcription of mitochondrial DNA and directly interacts with mitochondrial DNA and TFAM. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Vitamin D receptor (VDR) is an essential transcription factor (TF) synthesized in different cell types. We hypothesized that VDR might also act as a mitochondrial TF. We conducted the experiments in primary cortical neurons, PC12, HEK293T, SH-SY5Y cell lines, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and human brain. We showed that vitamin D/VDR affects the expression of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encoded oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) subunits. We observed the co-localization of VDR with mitochondria and the mtDNA with confocal microscopy. mtDNA-chromatin-immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that VDR was able to bind to the mtDNA D-loop site in several locations, with a consensus sequence "MMHKCA." We also reported the possible interaction between VDR and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) and their binding sites located in close proximity in mtDNA. Consequently, our results showed for the first time that VDR was able to bind and regulate mtDNA transcription and interact with TFAM even in the human brain. These results not only revealed a novel function of VDR, but also showed that VDR is indispensable for energy demanded cells.

publication date

  • March 23, 2023

Research

keywords

  • DNA, Mitochondrial
  • Receptors, Calcitriol

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85152138824

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2023.109322

PubMed ID

  • 36963731

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 116