of all of the above symptoms and it has been proposed that a circulating phosphaturic factor secreted from oho tumor plays a role in osteomalacia matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein was proposed as a candidate of this phosphaturic factor phosphoglycoprotein rowe et al genomics 2000 67 56 68 phosphate plays a central role in many of the basic processes essential to the cell and the mineralization of skeleton in particular skeletal mineralization is dependent on the regulation of phosphate and calcium in the body and any disturbances in phosphate calcium homeostasis can have severe repercussions on the integrity of bone in the kidney phosphate is lost passively into the glomerular filtrate and is actively reabsorbed via a sodium na dependent phosphate cotransporter in the intestine phosphate is absorbed from foods a sodium na dependent phosphate cotransporter was found to be expressed in the intestine and recently cloned hilfiker pnas 95 24 1998 14564 14569 the liver skin and kidney are involved in the conversion of vitamin d3 to its active metabolite calcitriol which plays an active role in the maintenance of phosphate balance and skeletal mineralization vitamin d deficiency causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults both conditions are characterized by failure of calcification of osteoid which is the matrix of skeleton thus all of the.