缺乏维生素D会增加许多疾病的发病风险，但其深层原因过去并不清楚。一项最新研究显示，缺乏维生素D会直接影响人类基因组中200多个基因的活性，这些基因与风湿性关节炎和糖尿病等许多疾病有关。
英国牛津大学等机构的研究人员在新一期《基因组研究》杂志上报告说，维生素D进入人体后会激活一种名叫维生素D受体的蛋白质，这种蛋白质会与脱氧核糖核酸（DNA）结合。研究发现，在DNA链上有2776个可供维生素D受体蛋白质结合的位点。
对这些位点进行的分析显示，维生素D可以影响229个基因的活性。这些基因已经被证明与一系列疾病有关，如多发性硬化症、风湿性关节炎、慢性淋巴细胞性白血病、I型糖尿病和肠癌等。研究人员安德烈亚斯·赫格尔说，这项结果显示，维生素D在人体健康系统中发挥着广泛的作用，提醒人们要注意补充维生素D。
据估计，全球约有10亿人缺乏维生素D，并因此罹患各种疾病。人们可以通过多吃鱼油、鸡蛋等食物来补充维生素D，多晒太阳也有助于人体自身合成维生素D，但研究人员也提醒说，过多暴晒会增加患皮肤癌风险。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原文出处：
Genome Res. doi:10.1101/gr.107920.110
A ChIP-seq defined genome-wide map of vitamin D receptor binding: Associations with disease and evolution
Sreeram V. Ramagopalan1,2,3,6,7, Andreas Heger4,6, Antonio J. Berlanga1,2, Narelle J. Maugeri1, Matthew R. Lincoln1,2, Amy Burrell1,2, Lahiru Handunnetthi1,2, Adam E. Handel1,2, Giulio Disanto1,2, Sarah-Michelle Orton1,2, Corey T. Watson5, Julia M. Morahan1,2, Gavin Giovannoni3, Chris P. Ponting4, George C. Ebers1,2,7 and Julian C. Knight1,7
1Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom;
2Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom;
3Blizard Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Queen Mary University of London, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London E1 2AT, United Kingdom;
4MRC Functional Genomics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QX, United Kingdom;
5Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
Initially thought to play a restricted role in calcium homeostasis, the pleiotropic actions of vitamin D in biology and their clinical significance are only now becoming apparent. However, the mode of action of vitamin D, through its cognate nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR), and its contribution to diverse disorders, remain poorly understood. We determined VDR binding throughout the human genome using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq). After calcitriol stimulation, we identified 2776 genomic positions occupied by the VDR and 229 genes with significant changes in expression in response to vitamin D. VDR binding sites were significantly enriched near autoimmune and cancer associated genes identified from genome-wide association (GWA) studies. Notable genes with VDR binding included IRF8, associated with MS, and PTPN2 associated with Crohn's disease and T1D. Furthermore, a number of single nucleotide polymorphism associations from GWA were located directly within VDR binding intervals, for example, rs13385731 associated with SLE and rs947474 associated with T1D. We also observed significant enrichment of VDR intervals within regions of positive selection among individuals of Asian and European descent. ChIP-seq determination of transcription factor binding, in combination with GWA data, provides a powerful approach to further understanding the molecular bases of complex diseases.
