Cloning of a Functional Vitamin D Receptor from the Lamprey, an Ancient Vertebrate Lacking a Calcified Skeleton and Teeth

    May 2003 in “ Endocrinology ”
    G. Kerr Whitfield, Hope Dang, Samuel F. Schluter, Ralph M. Bernstein, Tara Bunag, Lori A. Manzon, Grace Hsieh, Carlos Encinas Dominguez, John H. Youson, Mark R. Haussler, John J. Marchalonis
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    Studysummary This study found that the vitamin D receptor in lampreys, which lack bones and hair, binds 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and may function to induce enzymes for detoxifying substances. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
    Researchers cloned a functional vitamin D receptor (VDR) from the lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), an ancient vertebrate without mineralized tissues or hair. Despite these absences, the lamprey VDR (lampVDR) bound 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 with high affinity and activated a reporter gene linked to a vitamin D-responsive element from the human CYP3A4 gene in mammalian cells. However, lampVDR showed little or no activity with other vitamin D responsive elements. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that lampVDR is a basal member of the VDR group, closely related to pregnane X receptors and constitutive androstane receptors, suggesting its role in xenobiotic detoxification in lampreys.
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