IMMUNOCHEMICAL IDENTIFICATION OF THE 1,25-DIHYDROXYVITAMIN D-3 RECEPTOR PROTEIN IN HUMAN HEART

A number of recent clinical observations suggest that vitamin D-3 play s an important role in maintaining normal cardiovascular function, eit her directly through its receptor in cardiac muscle, or indirectly thr ough its infuence on circulating levels of calcium or on other regulat ory factors. By using an antibody directed against the recombinant vit amin D-3 receptor, we have identified the receptor protein for 1,25(OH )(2)D-3 in tissue from two human hearts. The identification of the 1,2 5(OH)(2)D-3 receptor in human heart lends credence to the hypothesis t hat 1,25(OH)(2)D-3 directly effects the human heart and may be involve d in several clinically relevant pathological conditions involving the vitamin D-3 endocrine system. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited