Genetics of the Vitamin D Endocrine System

The past decade has witnessed a substantial change in methods and approaches of genetic studies, including those of the vitamin D endocrine system. From using candidate gene studies in small-study populations lacking replication, we went to applying genome-wide association studies in large-scale collaborative consortia with built-in replication studies. This has led to robust genetic discoveries and applying these in so-called Mendelian randomization studies to distinguish cause from effect in epidemiological relationships. Background, context, and results of such genetic studies are here discussed. Their outcomes point to a role of the vitamin D endocrine system in our immune system and in our interactions with the various microbiome communities in and on our body.

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