The cell supernatants and cell lysates were determined as described earlier. Some other cells were first transfected with CYP27A1 siRNA (10 nM), or non-silencing control siRNA, and 12 h after transfection, these cells were treated with 1000 nM vitamin D3 (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) for another 48 h. Then, the 1,25OH2D3 concentrations in the cell supernatants and cell lysates were detected as described earlier.Detection of 1,25OH2D3 ProductionCells from 3 donors were treated with 1000 nM vitamin D3 (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) 
for 48 h and then supernatants were collected and cells were scraped in PBS containing 0.2 Triton X100 and stored at 280uC. Prior to use, cell lysates were sonicated on ice in a sonifier cell disrupter for 2615 s. The levels of 1,25OH2D3 in cell supernatants 
and cell lysates were determined using a 1,25OH2D3 radioimmunoassay kit (DiaSorin, Stillwater, MN, USA). The sensitivity of the assay was 2.0 pg/mL.Regulation of CYP27A1 in hGF and hPDLCCells from four donors were seeded into six-well plates at a density of 5000 cm22 in DMEM supplemented with 10 DCCFBS. Four days later, cells were incubated with IL-1b (PeproTech, London, UK; 1 ng/mL and 10 ng/mL), Pg-LPS (Invivogen, San Diego, CA, USA; 1 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL) or sodium butyrate (SCRC, Shanghai, China; 4 mM) for 24 h. Then mRNA expression was detected by real-time PCR as described previously.Statistical Methods RNA Interference of 25-hydroxylaseTo confirm the dependence of vitamin D3 conversion to 25837696 25OHD3 on 25-hydroxylase, the highly specific technique of RNA interference was utilized. Cells were seeded at a density of 15000 cm22 in six-well plates. Eight hours later, the cells were transfected with either CYP27A1 siRNA (10 nM) or Oltipraz site CYP2R1 siRNA (10 nM), or a non-silencing control siRNA using HiperfectTM transfection reagent (Qiagen, Duesseldorf, Germany), according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The target sequence of CYP27A1 siRNA was 59- CACGCTGACATGGGCCCTGTA -39, the target sequence of CYP2R1 siRNA was 59TGGGTTGATCACAGACGATTA -39, and the non-silencing control was a non-homologous, ZK-36374 site scrambled sequence equivalent. Sixty hours after transfection, cells were harvested, RNA and cDNA were obtained, and real-time PCR was performed as described earlier to test the effect of RNAi. After confirming the effect of RNAi, 25OHD3 production after RNAi was determined. Cells were first transfected with CYP27A1 siRNA (10 nM) or CYP2R1 siRNA (10 nM), or non-silencing control siRNA. Twelve hours after transfection, these cells were treated with 100 nM, 200 nM, 400 nM, 600 nM or 1000 nM The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determinate the distribution of the variants. The paired samples t-test was used to compare differences of the mRNA expression levels of CYP27A1 and CYP2R1 between hGF and hPDLC, differences of 25OHD3 generation by hGF and hPDLC, and the effect of RNA interference. Comparison of 25OHD3 generation with and without knockdown of 25-hydroxylase, and 1,25OH2D3 generation with and without knockdown of CYP27A1 were also performed using a paired samples t-test. The impact of stimulation on CYP27A1 mRNA expression was analyzed using a pairedsamples t-test, and the difference between CYP27A1 regulation in hGF and hPDLC was analyzed using a Wilcoxon test. Statistical analyses were accomplished using the SPSS 11.5 software package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). A p value ,0.05 was considered statistically significant.Author ContributionsConceived and designed the experime.The cell supernatants and cell lysates were determined as described earlier. Some other cells were first transfected with CYP27A1 siRNA (10 nM), or non-silencing control siRNA, and 12 h after transfection, these cells were treated with 1000 nM vitamin D3 (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) for another 48 h. Then, the 1,25OH2D3 concentrations in the cell supernatants and cell lysates were detected as described earlier.Detection of 1,25OH2D3 ProductionCells from 3 donors were treated with 1000 nM vitamin D3 (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) for 48 h and then supernatants were collected and cells were scraped in PBS containing 0.2 Triton X100 and stored at 280uC. Prior to use, cell lysates were sonicated on ice in a sonifier cell disrupter for 2615 s. The levels of 1,25OH2D3 in cell supernatants and cell lysates were determined using a 1,25OH2D3 radioimmunoassay kit (DiaSorin, Stillwater, MN, USA). The sensitivity of the assay was 2.0 pg/mL.Regulation of CYP27A1 in hGF and hPDLCCells from four donors were seeded into six-well plates at a density of 5000 cm22 in DMEM supplemented with 10 DCCFBS. Four days later, cells were incubated with IL-1b (PeproTech, London, UK; 1 ng/mL and 10 ng/mL), Pg-LPS (Invivogen, San Diego, CA, USA; 1 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL) or sodium butyrate (SCRC, Shanghai, China; 4 mM) for 24 h. Then mRNA expression was detected by real-time PCR as described previously.Statistical Methods RNA Interference of 25-hydroxylaseTo confirm the dependence of vitamin D3 conversion to 25837696 25OHD3 on 25-hydroxylase, the highly specific technique of RNA interference was utilized. Cells were seeded at a density of 15000 cm22 in six-well plates. Eight hours later, the cells were transfected with either CYP27A1 siRNA (10 nM) or CYP2R1 siRNA (10 nM), or a non-silencing control siRNA using HiperfectTM transfection reagent (Qiagen, Duesseldorf, Germany), according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The target sequence of CYP27A1 siRNA was 59- CACGCTGACATGGGCCCTGTA -39, the target sequence of CYP2R1 siRNA was 59TGGGTTGATCACAGACGATTA -39, and the non-silencing control was a non-homologous, scrambled sequence equivalent. Sixty hours after transfection, cells were harvested, RNA and cDNA were obtained, and real-time PCR was performed as described earlier to test the effect of RNAi. After confirming the effect of RNAi, 25OHD3 production after RNAi was determined. Cells were first transfected with CYP27A1 siRNA (10 nM) or CYP2R1 siRNA (10 nM), or non-silencing control siRNA. Twelve hours after transfection, these cells were treated with 100 nM, 200 nM, 400 nM, 600 nM or 1000 nM The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determinate the distribution of the variants. The paired samples t-test was used to compare differences of the mRNA expression levels of CYP27A1 and CYP2R1 between hGF and hPDLC, differences of 25OHD3 generation by hGF and hPDLC, and the effect of RNA interference. Comparison of 25OHD3 generation with and without knockdown of 25-hydroxylase, and 1,25OH2D3 generation with and without knockdown of CYP27A1 were also performed using a paired samples t-test. The impact of stimulation on CYP27A1 mRNA expression was analyzed using a pairedsamples t-test, and the difference between CYP27A1 regulation in hGF and hPDLC was analyzed using a Wilcoxon test. Statistical analyses were accomplished using the SPSS 11.5 software package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). A p value ,0.05 was considered statistically significant.Author ContributionsConceived and designed the experime.
