Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is a

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

aceous

hormone A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are require ...

and a member of the parathyroid hormone family secreted by

mesenchymal stem cell Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) also known as mesenchymal stromal cells or medicinal signaling cells are multipotent stromal cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types, including osteoblasts (bone cells), chondrocytes (cartilage cel ...

s. It is occasionally secreted by

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

cells (for example,

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...

, certain types of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

including

squamous-cell lung carcinoma Squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung is a histologic type of non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). It is the second most prevalent type of lung cancer after lung adenocarcinoma and it originates in the bronchi. Its tumor cells are characteriz ...

). However, it also has normal functions in

bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

teeth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, t ...

vascular tissue Vascular tissue is a complex conducting tissue, formed of more than one cell type, found in vascular plants. The primary components of vascular tissue are the xylem and phloem. These two tissues transport fluid and nutrients internally. The ...

s and other tissues.

Function

PTHrP acts as an endocrine,

autocrine Autocrine signaling is a form of cell signaling in which a cell secretes a hormone or chemical messenger (called the autocrine agent) that binds to autocrine receptors on that same cell, leading to changes in the cell. This can be contrasted with p ...

paracrine Paracrine signaling is a form of cell signaling, a type of cellular communication in which a cell produces a signal to induce changes in nearby cells, altering the behaviour of those cells. Signaling molecules known as paracrine factors diffuse over ...

, and

intracrine Intracrine refers to a hormone that acts inside a cell, regulating intracellular events. In simple terms it means that the cell stimulates itself by cellular production of a factor that acts within the cell. Steroid hormones act through intracellu ...

hormone. It regulates endochondral

bone development A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, and ...

by maintaining the endochondral growth plate at a constant width. It also regulates epithelial–mesenchymal interactions during the formation of the mammary glands. PTHrP plays a major role in regulating calcium homeostasis in vertebrates, including sea bream, chick, and mammals. In 2005, Australian pathologist and researcher Thomas John Martin found that PTHrP produced by osteoblasts is a physiological regulator of

bone formation Ossification (also called osteogenesis or bone mineralization) in bone remodeling is the process of laying down new bone material by cells named osteoblasts. It is synonymous with bone tissue formation. There are two processes resulting in th ...

. Martin and Miao ''et al.'' demonstrated that osteoblast-specific

ablation Ablation ( la, ablatio – removal) is removal or destruction of something from an object by vaporization, chipping, erosive processes or by other means. Examples of ablative materials are described below, and include spacecraft material for a ...

of PTHrP in mice results in osteoporosis and impaired bone formation both in vivo and ex vivo, which reiterates the

phenotype In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological pr ...

of mice with

haploinsufficiency Haploinsufficiency in genetics describes a model of dominant gene action in diploid organisms, in which a single copy of the wild-type allele at a locus in heterozygous combination with a variant allele is insufficient to produce the wild-type ...

of PTHrP. By these findings, they demonstrated that PTHrP plays a central role in physiological regulation of bone formation by promoting recruitment and survival of osteoblasts. It may also play a role in physiological regulation of

bone resorption Bone resorption is resorption of bone tissue, that is, the process by which osteoclasts break down the tissue in bones and release the minerals, resulting in a transfer of calcium from bone tissue to the blood. The osteoclasts are multi-nuclea ...

by enhancing

osteoclast An osteoclast () is a type of bone cell that breaks down bone tissue. This function is critical in the maintenance, repair, and remodeling of bones of the vertebral skeleton. The osteoclast disassembles and digests the composite of hydrated pro ...

formation.

Tooth eruption

PTHrP is critical in intraosseous phase of tooth eruption where it acts as a signalling molecule to stimulate local bone resorption. Without PTHrP, the bony crypt surrounding the tooth follicle will not resorb, and therefore the tooth will not erupt. In the context of tooth eruption, PTHrP is secreted by the cells of the reduced enamel epithelium.

Mammary glands

It aids in normal

mammary gland development Breast development, also known as mammogenesis, is a complex biological process in primates that takes place throughout a female, female's life. It occurs across several phases, including prenatal development, puberty, and pregnancy. At menopau ...

. It is necessary for maintenance of the mammary bud cells. Loss of PTHrP or its receptor causes the mammary bud cells to change back into

epidermal cell The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and hypodermis. The epidermis layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the amount of water relea ...

s. In

lactation Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The proces ...

, it may regulate the mobilization and transfer of

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar t ...

to the milk in conjunction with the calcium sensing receptors, as well as

placenta The placenta is a temporary embryonic and later fetal organ that begins developing from the blastocyst shortly after implantation. It plays critical roles in facilitating nutrient, gas and waste exchange between the physically separate mate ...

l transfer of calcium.

Humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy

PTHrP is related in function to parathyroid hormone(PTH). When a

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

secretes PTHrP, this can lead to hypercalcemia. As this is sometimes the first sign of the

malignancy Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse. Malignancy is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not s ...

, hypercalcemia caused by PTHrP is considered a paraneoplastic phenomenon. PTHrP is responsible for most cases of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. PTHrP shares the same N-terminal end as parathyroid hormone and therefore it can bind to the same receptor, the Type I PTH receptor ( PTHR1). PTHrP can simulate most of the actions of PTH including increases in bone resorption and distal tubular calcium reabsorption, and inhibition of proximal tubular phosphate transport. PTHrP lacks the normal feedback inhibition as PTH. However, PTHrP has a less sustained action than PTH on PTHR1 activation, which may explain at least in part its reduced ability to stimulate 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)₂ vitamin D) production and indirectly intestinal calcium absorption through an action to increase circulating levels of 1,25(OH)₂ vitamin D.

Genetics

Four

alternatively spliced Alternative splicing, or alternative RNA splicing, or differential splicing, is an alternative splicing process during gene expression that allows a single gene to code for multiple proteins. In this process, particular exons of a gene may be ...

transcript variants encoding two distinct

isoform A protein isoform, or "protein variant", is a member of a set of highly similar proteins that originate from a single gene or gene family and are the result of genetic differences. While many perform the same or similar biological roles, some iso ...

s have been observed. There is also evidence for alternative translation initiation from non-AUG (CUG and GUG) start sites, in-frame and downstream of the initiator AUG codon, to give rise to nuclear forms of this hormone.

Discovery

The protein was first isolated in 1987 by Thomas J. Martin's team at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

. Miao ''et al''. showed that disruption of the ''PTHrP'' gene in mice caused a lethal phenotype and distinct bone abnormalities, suggesting that PTHrP has a physiological function.

Interactions

Parathyroid hormone-related protein has been shown to

interact Advocates for Informed Choice, dba interACT or interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization using innovative strategies to advocate for the legal and human rights of children with intersex traits. The organizati ...

with

KPNB1 Importin subunit beta-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''KPNB1'' gene. Function Nucleocytoplasmic transport, a signal- and energy-dependent process, takes place through nuclear pore complexes embedded in the nuclear envelope. ...

and

Arrestin beta 1 Arrestin, beta 1, also known as ARRB1, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ''ARRB1'' gene. Function Members of arrestin/beta-arrestin protein family are thought to participate in agonist-mediated desensitization of G protein-coupled ...