Expression patterns of vitamin D receptor in human prostate

UV exposure and serum levels of vitamin D have been linked in several studi es with prostate cancer risk. At the cellular level, the principal action o f vitamin D is mediated though vitamin D receptors (VDR). Since prostate ca ncer is a disease strongly associated with age, we examined the presence of VDR in normal prostate from donors of various ages to determine if the VDR expression pattern changed with age. We also compared the VDR expression i n the peripheral and central zones of the prostate to determine if the expr ession pattern varied by location. Immunohistochemical studies were perform ed on paraffin-embedded tissue from cases selected by the following age dec ades; 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69. Both the central and pe ripheral zones were examined for VDR expression. The intensity of VDR expre ssion in prostate was compared with expression in different types of human tissues. Mean VDR expression was lowest in the 10-19 years of age group. Th e intensity of the nuclear VDR was higher though the fifth decade, and then declined in cases of ages 60-70. When multiple sections of the same donor prostate were compared, VDR expression was greater in the peripheral zone c ompared to the central zone. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.