Vitamin D-binding protein: multifunctional component of blood serum

Vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) was discovered more than half a century ago as a polymorphic serum protein and is currently characterized by a variety of physiological properties. First of all, DBP carries the bulk of vitamin D metabolites circulating in the bloodstream, while albumin is the second most important transport protein, especially in patients with a low concentration of DBP in serum. Since it was discovered that only 1–2% of the total circulating DBP have occupied steroid binding sites, a vigorous study of other potential biological roles of DBP was initiated: actin utilization, regulation of inflammation and innate immunity mechanisms, fatty acid binding, effects on bone metabolism and participation in the tumor pathogenesis. This review focuses on the main known biological functions of DBP.