1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the Atlantic cod: plasma levels, a plasma binding component, and organ distribution of a high affinity receptor

Physiological studies of the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, have suggested a role for the vitamin D3 system in this marine teleost similar to that in other vertebrates. Accordingly, the present study was carried out to assess the plasma concentrations of vitamin D3, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3), and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] in this fish. Additionally, the presence of binding proteins in plasma and target-specific tissue receptors for these vitamin D3 metabolites was studied in organs normally associated with calcium regulation. Plasma levels of 25-OHD3 (undetectable to 148 pg/ml; n = 5) were comparatively low (20-30 ng/ml), whereas the levels of vitamin D3 (approximately 30 ng/ml) and 1,25-(OH)2D3 (approximately 50 pg/ml) were comparable to levels reported in higher vertebrates. Cod plasma contained a protein that bound both 25OHD3 and 1,25-(OH)2D3. This plasma binding protein revealed low affinity for 25OHD3, did not bind G-actin, and had a sedimentation coefficient of 3.4S. High affinity 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptors [Kd, 1.02 +/- 0.36 (n = 6), 1.02 +/- 0.3 (n = 5), and 0.95 +/- 0.51 (n = 5) nM; mean +/- SEM] were found in high salt cytosols from intestine, liver, and gills, respectively, and had sedimentation coefficients (3.6-3.8S in 0.3 M KCl sucrose gradients) similar to those in higher vertebrates. No specific 1,25-(OH)2D3 binding was found in kidney, ultimobranchial glands, corpuscles of Stannius, or bone. The finding of significant quantities of 1,25-(OH)2D3 in the plasma, the presence of plasma binding proteins that bind this seco-steroid, and the localization of specific high affinity receptors for this metabolite in calcium regulatory tissues in teleosts are all consistent with a physiological role for the vitamin D3 system in the calcium regulation of the cod.