RISK OF LOW VIT D STATUS & FUNCTION: RACE, POPULATION ANCESTRY & SKIN REFLECTION

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Studies suggest a role of vitamin D and vitamin D-responsive genes in the prevention of cancers of the breast, colon, prostate and kidney. It has been suggested that vitamin D and the significant racial variations in the prevalence of polymorphic genes such as the Vitamin D Receptor may account for some of the substantial racial/ethnic disparities in higher cancer incidence seen among African Americans. However, racial/ethnic differences in the function of vitamin D responsive genes are not known. Furthermore, the use of self-reported race in determining racial/ethnic disparities may or may not be biologically relevant to vitamin D status and the function of vitamin D-responsive genes. We propose to investigate the disparities in serum vitamin D and vitamin D responsiveness in the lymphocytes using three separate measures: self reported race, population ancestry as measured by gene ancestry informative markers, and pigmentation as measured by skin reflectance. Specific Aims: 1) Determine the prevalence of low serum vitamin D and vitamin D intake (50 African American and 50 white); 2) Estimate the activity level of vitamin D-responsive genes in the lymphocytes of study volunteers; and 3) Analyze differences in vitamin D status (serum and dietary) and the activity level of vitamin D responsive genes by self-reported race, population ancestry and skin reflectance in order to determine which measure best predicts outcome disparities. The potential benefits of this research include the advancement of molecular studies of racial/ethnic differences in cancer risk, and the development of a molecular phenotyping assay that might be useful in population-based studies.