The Function of the Vitamin D Receptor and a Possible Role of Enhancer RNA in Epigenomic Regulation of Target Genes: Implications for Bone Metabolism
- Author:
Shun SAWATSUBASHI
1
;
Koichi NISHIMURA
;
Jinichi MORI
;
Alexander KOUZMENKO
;
Shigeaki KATO
Author Information
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords: Chromatin reorganization; Enhancer RNA; Non-coding RNA; Vitamin D; Vitamin D receptor
- MeSH: Bone Remodeling; Chromatin; Epigenomics; Metabolism; Receptors, Calcitriol; RNA; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Untranslated; Transcriptional Activation; Vitamin D; Vitamins
- From:Journal of Bone Metabolism 2019;26(1):3-12
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Vitamin D (VD) is essential for bone health, and VD or its analogues are widely used in clinics to ameliorate bone loss. The targets and mode of VD anti-osteoporotic actions appear to be different from those of other classes of drugs modulating bone remodeling. VD exerts its biological activities through the nuclear VD receptor (VDR)-mediated transcriptional regulation of target mRNA and non-coding RNA genes. VD-induced gene regulation involves epigenetic modifications of chromatin conformation at the target loci as well as reconfiguration of higher-order chromosomal organization through VDR-mediated recruitment of various regulatory factors. Enhancer RNAs (eRNA), a class of non-coding enhancer-derived RNAs, have recently emerged as VDR target gene candidates that act through reorganization of chromatin looping to induce enhancer-promoter interaction in activation of mRNA-encoding genes. This review outlines the molecular mechanisms of VD actions mediated by the VDR and suggests novel function of eRNAs in VDR transactivation.
