Vitamin D Receptor Expression in Chicken Muscle Tissue and Cultured Myoblasts

Muscle has long been recognized as a target tissue for 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 (1,25[OH]2D3). Evidence of the presence of VDR is provided here, thus supporting the existence of a receptor-mediated mechanism of action of 1,25(OH)2D3. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression is evidenced by detection of VDR-mRNA, through reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR), in chicken muscle and muscle cells (myoblasts) as well as in a variety of tissues such as intestine, kidney, heart and brain. VDR presence is also demonstrated by Southern blot of PCR products with a specific VDR-cDNA probe and by immunocytochemistry carried out on myoblasts and cardiac myocytes. Localization of VDR is mainly nuclear and more faintly detected in the cytosol.