Vitamin D, immune tolerance, and prevention of type 1 diabetes

Vitamin D is a secosteroid hormone that resembles other nuclear steroid hormones such as thyroid, gluco-, and mineralocorticoids, as well as gonadal effector systems. Primarily understood as a master regulator of bone and calcium/phosphate physiology, it is now increasingly recognized as orchestrating numerous aspects of cell growth and differentiation in many tissues, including those of innate and acquired immunity. This review addresses recently discovered aspects that highlight vitamin D's potential for immune intervention and how the vitamin D pathway is utilized for anti-infective and antineoplastic immunity. This provides the rationale for novel therapeutic strategies in the context both of prevention and of therapy of immune dysregulation in type 1 diabetes.