ABSTRACT
The molecular actions of vitamin D metabolites have been studied extensively. This chapter summarizes understanding of the molecular actions of vitamin D, reviews the limited approaches taken to date using genomic approaches to study vitamin D action, and identifies issues that may benefit from a genomic approach to vitamin D action. The application of genomic technology to the study of vitamin D action has been relatively limited to date. The chapter identifies several critical questions that could be addressed with genomic or proteomic approaches as well as the issues that need to be considered when using a genomic approach to examine 1,25(OH)2 D action. 1,25(OH)2D action has been studied in a number of nonclassical cell systems due to its ability to initiate growth arrest and differentiation characteristics that may be useful for the prevention and treatment of cancer. The analysis of vitamin D action in classical and nonclassical target tissues is ripe for a global genomic analysis.
