. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Dec 17.

Published in final edited form as: Tissue Barriers. 2013 Jan 1;1(1):e23118. doi: 10.4161/tisb.23118

Table 1.

Vitamin D and VDR influence the expression and function of cell junction proteins

VDR & proteins	In vitro	In vivo	Conclusion	References
ZO-1 E-cadherin β-catenin		Rat	Rat treated with 1,25(OH)₂D₃ is able to abrogate podocytes injury, detected as desmin expression and loss of nephrin and ZO-1.	²⁴
ZO-1 E-cadherin β-catenin	SW480		1,25(OH)₂D₃ induced the expression of adhesion proteins and promoted the translocation of nuclear beta-catenin and ZO-1 to the plasma membrane.	²²
Occludin	Corneal epithelium	Mouse, Rabbit Human	Vitamin D enhances corneal epithelial barrier function. Cells showed increased TER, decreased IP, and increased occludin levels when cultured with 25(OH)D₃ and 1,25(OH)₂D₃.	²⁵
	SW480-ADH		ROCK and MSK inhibition abrogates the induction of 1,25(OH)₂D₃ 24-hydroxylase (CYP24), E-cadherin, and vinculin and the repression of cyclin D1 by 1,25(OH)₂D₃.	⁶⁸
	Caco-2	VDR^−/− Mice DSS-colitis model	1,25(OH)₂D₃ enhanced TJs by increasing junction protein expression and TER and preserved the structural integrity of TJs in the presence of DSS. VDR knockdown reduced the junction proteins and TER. 1,25(OH)₂D₃ can also stimulate epithelial cell migration in vitro.	²⁷
claudins			1,25(OH)₂D₃ induces RANKL, SPP1 (osteopontin), and BGP (osteocalcin) to govern bone mineral remodeling; TRPV6, CaBP(9k), and claudin 2 to promote intestinal calcium absorption; and TRPV5, klotho, and Npt2c to regulate renal calcium and phosphate reabsorption.	⁶⁹
	SW480-ADH		1,25(OH)₂D₃ activates the JMJD3 gene promoter and increases JMJD3 RNA in human cancer cells. JMJD3 knockdown or expression of an inactive mutant JMJD3 fragment decreased the induction by 1,25(OH)₂D₃ of several target genes and of an epithelial adhesive phenotype. It downregulated the E-cadherin, Claudin-1 and Claudin-7.	⁷⁰
		calbindin-D9k^−/− mutant mice	1,25(OH)₂D₃ downregulates cadherin-17 and upregulates claudin2 and claudin12 in the intestine, suggesting that 1,25(OH)2D3 can route calcium through the paracellular path by regulating the epithelial cell junction proteins.	³³
	Caco-2 cells	VDR^−/− mice	Claudin2 and/or claudin12-based TJs form paracellular Ca(2+) channels in intestinal epithelia. This study highlights a vitamin D-dependent mechanism in calcium homeostasis.	²⁶
VDR and mucosal barrier	Caco-2 cells	DSS-colitis model	1,25(OH)₂D₃ play a protective role in mucosal barrier homeostasis by maintaining the integrity of junction complexes and in healing capacity of the colon epithelium.	⁴²