Vitamin D metabolism in human kidney organoids

Human kidney organoids possess early glomerular and tubular function. However, little is known about their hormone producing ability. In this report, we show that kidney organoids take up and metabolize inactive 25(OH) vitamin D (25(OH)D3). Uptake of 25(OH)D3 led to a significant upregulation of vitamin D metabolizing CYP24A1 mRNA levels, indicating that kidney organoids possess a feedback mechanism to control active vitamin D (1,25(OH)2D3) levels. They therefore resemble the kidney in its regulation of vitamin D and illustrate the presence of the kidney endocrine system in organoids. These findings underscore the value of kidney organoids for research into the hormonal function of the kidney.