Increased IgE but Reduced Th2-Type Inflammation in Vitamin D Receptor-Deficient Mice

Increased anxiety in mice lacking vitamin D receptor gene.

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone with many important functions in the brain, mediated through the vitamin D nuclear receptor. Numerous human and animal data link vitamin D dysfunctions to various behavioural disorders. To examine this problem, we studied whether genetic ablation of vitamin D receptors in mice may be associated with altered emotional behaviours. Here we show that the receptor-defi...

Neurturin-Deficient Mice Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Eosinophilic Airway Inflammation, and Increased Th2 Cytokine Secretion,

Inflammation in Tyk2-Deficient Mice Enhanced Th2 Cell-Mediated Allergic

Vitamin D supplementation of initially vitamin D‐deficient mice diminishes lung inflammation with limited effects on pulmonary epithelial integrity

In disease settings, vitamin D may be important for maintaining optimal lung epithelial integrity and suppressing inflammation, but less is known of its effects prior to disease onset. Female BALB/c dams were fed a vitamin D3-supplemented (2280 IU/kg, VitD+) or nonsupplemented (0 IU/kg, VitD-) diet from 3 weeks of age, and mated at 8 weeks of age. Male offspring were fed the same diet as their ...

Vitamin D receptor-deficient mice fail to develop experimental allergic asthma.

The active metabolite of vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3))) is known to modulate the immune response in Th1 cell-directed diseases. To investigate the role of vitamin D in Th2 cell-directed diseases, experimental allergic asthma was induced in vitamin D receptor (VDR) knockout and in wild-type (WT) mice. As expected, WT mice developed symptoms of airway inflammation with a...