The central focus of this Program Project is to understand the mechanisms by which vitamin A acts to maintain optimal growth and health of the organism. For vitamin A to act in maintaining growth and health, it must be obtained from the diet; undergo transport, storage and mobilization processes; and be metabolized to active forms. Finally, its active forms must interact with transcription factors and the transcription machinery to regulate gene expression. Diets deficient in vitamin A result in characteristic abnormal development and disease in virtually all animals, including humans. However, the molecular mechanisms of action of vitamin A following its provision in the diet are not well understood. To elucidate the role of vitamin A in maintaining health, it is necessary to integrate an understanding of dietary vitamin A intake, vitamin A metabolism and the molecular events important to regulating responsive genes. The five individuals research projects which compose the Program Project will explore in the mouse model different aspects of vitamin A transport, storage and metabolism, the factors and processes which influence vitamin A uptake by cells and tissues or the molecular processes through which vitamin A acts to regulate gene expression and how intake of different levels of vitamin A from the diet influences each of these. Together, the five projects constitute a research program which has a major objective delineating a comprehensive and unified view of vitamin A physiology and vitamin A actions. One of the themes for this Program Project is exploring tissue-specific differences both in vitamin A delivery and processing and in the mechanisms through which vitamin A acts to regulate cellular homeostasis. A second them is understanding the role of vitamin A and its metabolites in the regulation of gene expression, again, in a tissue-specific manner. A third common theme for the Program is to ask how the modulation of dietary intake of vitamin A through purified diets will affect various aspects of vitamin A physiology and actions in the mouse model. Each project employs induced mutant, both transgenic and knockout, mice in its investigations: thus, the use of genetic approaches in mouse models is a fourth common and central theme for this Program. This Program is unique in the breadth of scope in which the function of dietary retinol will be addressed--from the uptake and metabolism of a micronutrient to its function at the level of specific target genes.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Research Program Projects (P01)
Project #
5P01DK054057-02
Application #
2906231
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZDK1-GRB-5 (J1))
Program Officer
May, Michael K
Project Start
1998-06-01
Project End
2003-05-31
Budget Start
1999-06-01
Budget End
2000-05-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1999
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Columbia University (N.Y.)
Department
Genetics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
167204994
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10032
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