The vitamin D endocrine system regulates mineral homeostasis through its activities in the intestine, kidney, and bone. Terminal activation of vitamin D 3 to its hormonal form, 1␣,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 (1,25(OH) 2 D 3 ), occurs in the kidney via the cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP27B1. Despite its importance in vitamin D metabolism, the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of the gene for this enzyme, Cyp27b1, are unknown. Here, we identified a kidney-specific control module governed by a renal cell-specific chromatin structure located distal to Cyp27b1 that mediates unique basal and parathyroid hormone (PTH)-, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)-, and 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 -mediated regulation of Cyp27b1 expression. Selective genomic deletion of key components within this module in mice resulted in loss of either PTH induction or FGF23 and 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 suppression of Cyp27b1 gene expression; the former loss caused a debilitating skeletal phenotype, whereas the latter conferred a quasi-normal bone mineral phenotype through compensatory homeostatic mechanisms involving Cyp24a1. We found that Cyp27b1 is also expressed at low levels in non-renal cells, in which transcription was modulated exclusively by inflammatory factors via a process that was unaffected by deletion of the kidney-specific module. These results reveal that differential regulation of Cyp27b1 expression represents a mechanism whereby 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 can fulfill separate functional roles, first in the kidney to control mineral homeostasis and second in extra-renal cells to regulate target genes linked to specific biological responses. Furthermore, we conclude that these mouse models open new avenues for the study of vitamin D metabolism and its involvement in therapeutic strategies for human health and disease.The vitamin D endocrine system serves to regulate mineral homeostasis through its actions in the intestine, kidney, and bone (1). Vitamin D 3 itself is sequentially activated via two specific chemical modifications that occur first in the liver by CYP2R1 to 25(OH)D 3 2 and then in the kidney by CYP27B1 to 1␣,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 (1,25(OH) 2 D 3 ), the active hormonal form of the vitamin (2). Blood levels of 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 are also determined by rates of catabolism that represent the primary function of CYP24A1 in the kidney (3). CYP27B1 is also expressed at low levels in many non-renal target cells (NRTCs), particularly those of skin and the immune system, where local production of 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 has been suggested to preferentially influence the many pleiotropic, non-calcemic functions of 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 (4, 5). Neither the mechanisms nor the overall biological impact of these non-renal cellular sources of 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 are clear, particularly in the context of circulating 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 , which is believed to be derived exclusively from the kidney. Despite these uncertainties, the regulated expression of Cyp27b1 and Cyp24a1 is well-recognized as central to the overall biological activity of the vitamin D endocrine system.Cyp27b1 expressi...