Regulation of vitamin D metabolism has long been examined by using vitamin D-deficient hypocalcemic animals. We previously reported that, in a rat model of chronic hyperparathyroidism, expression of 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 -1␣-hydroxylase (CYP27B1) mRNA was markedly increased in renal proximal convoluted tubules. It is believed that the major regulator for the expression of renal CYP27B1 is parathyroid hormone (PTH). However, in the normocalcemic state, the mechanism to regulate the renal CYP27B1 gene could be different, since plasma levels of PTH are very low. In the present study, the effect of PTH and calcitonin (CT) on the expression of renal CYP27B1 mRNA was investigated in normocalcemic sham-operated rats and normocalcemic thy- 1-3). Furthermore, renal CYP27B1 activity was strongly inhibited by the administration of 1␣,25(OH) 2 D 3 . Thus, it is suggested that the renal CYP27B1 activity is regulated mainly by a balance of the serum levels of 1␣,25(OH) 2 D 3 and PTH.Another calcium-regulating hormone, calcitonin (CT), was also shown to enhance renal conversion of 25(OH)D 3 into 1␣,25(OH) 2 D 3 in vitamin D-deficient rats (5-7). Lorenc et al. (6), however, showed that CT did not exhibit any effect on vitamin D metabolism, when animals were thyroparathyroidectomized (TPTX). From these results, they concluded that the stimulatory effect of CT was mediated by the endogenous secretion of PTH. The effect of CT on the 1␣,25(OH) 2 D 3 synthesis and its interaction with PTH are of considerable interest, since the stimulatory effect of PTH on 1␣,25(OH) 2 D 3 synthesis appears to be mediated by cAMP (4), and CT also stimulates cAMP production in the kidney, irrespective of the counteracting effect of CT on PTH in maintaining plasma calcium homeostasis (8).It is believed that 1␣,25(OH) 2 D 3 is responsible for inducing most of the biological functions of vitamin D 3 (1-3). Theoretically, derangements in the tissue and plasma levels of 1␣,25(OH) 2 D 3 could result from alterations in the rate of its synthesis or degradation or both. Recently, four laboratories independently succeeded in the molecular cloning of the cDNA for CYP27B1 (9-13). The cloning of the CYP27B1 cDNA has enabled us to examine the expression of mRNA of this enzyme. Using this probe, we found that the expression of CYP27B1 mRNA was greatly increased in the kidney of vitamin D-deficient rats. In rats with the enhanced production of 1␣,25(OH) 2 D 3 , expression of CYP27B1 mRNA was also greatly stimulated in renal proximal convoluted tubules (9). Brenza et al. (14) and Murayama et al. (15) also reported that a PTH-dependent positive regulatory element for the CYP27B1 gene expression is located in the promoter region of the gene.Regulation of vitamin D metabolism has long been examined by using hypocalcemic or hypophosphatemic vitamin D-deficient animals. It was difficult to examine the regulation of CYP27B1 activity in normocalcemic physiological conditions. 1␣,25(OH) 2 D 3 has been characterized as a negative regulator for the activity of renal...