Bone muscle interactions and vitamin D

•Vitamin D metabolites have diverse effects on bone and muscle.•Vitamin D receptor defects result in mineralization defects and muscle atrophy.•Vitamin D modulates muscle and bone derived hormones and growth factors.•Cross-talk between bone and muscle is at least partially vitamin D dependent.•Vitamin D pathways are a potential therapeutic target for musculoskeletal diseases.

Beyond the established roles of vitamin D in bone and mineral homeostasis, we are becoming increasingly aware of its diverse effects in skeletal muscle. Subjects with severe vitamin D deficiency or mutations of the vitamin D receptor develop generalized atrophy of muscle and bone, suggesting coordinated effects of vitamin D in musculoskeletal physiology. At a mechanistic level, vitamin D exerts wide-ranging effects in muscle and bone calcium handling, differentiation and development. Vitamin D also modulates muscle and bone-derived hormones, facilitating cross-talk between these tissues. In this review, we discuss emerging evidence that vitamin D regulates bone and muscle in a direct, integrated fashion, positioning the vitamin D pathway as a potential therapeutic target for musculoskeletal diseases.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Muscle Bone Interactions”.