Parathyroid hormone

Parathyroid hormone (PTH), parathormone or parathyrin, is secreted by the chief cells of the parathyroid glands as a polypeptide containing 84 amino acids, yet effective hormone-receptor interaction requires solely the 34-N-terminal amino acids. While PTH acts to increase the concentration of ionic calcium (Ca²⁺) in the blood, calcitonin, a hormone produced by the parafollicular cells (C cells) of the thyroid gland, acts to decrease ionic calcium concentration. PTH essentially acts to increase the concentration of calcium in the blood by acting upon the parathyroid hormone 1 receptor, which is present at high levels in bone and kidney, and the parathyroid hormone 2 receptor, which is present at high levels in the central nervous system, pancreas, testis, and placenta. PTH half-life is approximately 4 minutes. It has a molecular mass of approximately 9500 Da.

Structure

hPTH-(1-34) crystallizes as a slightly bent, long helical dimer. Analysis reveals that the extended helical conformation of hPTH-(1-34) is the likely bioactive conformation. The N-terminal fragment 1-34 of parathyroid hormone (PTH) has been crystallized and the structure has been refined to 0.9 Å resolution.

helical dimer structure of hPTH-(1-34)

Function

Regulation of serum calcium

A diagrammatic representation of the movements of calcium ions into and out of the blood plasma (the central square labeled PLASMA Ca²⁺) in an adult in calcium balance. The widths of the red arrows indicating movement into and out of the plasma are roughly in proportion to the daily amounts of calcium moved in the indicated directions. The size of the central square in not in proportion to the size of the diagrammatic bone, which represents the calcium present in the skeleton, and contains approximately 25,000 mmol (or 1 kg) of calcium compared to the 9 mmol (360 mg) dissolved in the blood plasma. The differently colored narrow arrows indicate where the specified hormones act, and their effects (“+” means stimulates; “-“ means inhibits) when their plasma levels are high. PTH is parathyroid hormone, 1,25 OH VIT D₃ is calcitriol or 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D₃, and CALCITONIN is a hormone secreted by the thyroid gland when the plasma ionized calcium level is high or rising. The diagram does not show the extremely small amounts of calcium that move into and out of the cells of the body, nor does it indicate the calcium that is bound to the extracellular proteins (in particular the plasma proteins) or to plasma phosphate.

Parathyroid hormone regulates serum calcium through its effects on bone, kidney, and the intestine:

In bone, PTH enhances the release of calcium from the large reservoir contained in the bones. Bone resorption is the normal destruction of bone by osteoclasts, which are indirectly stimulated by PTH. Stimulation is indirect since osteoclasts do not have a receptor for PTH; rather, PTH binds to osteoblasts, the cells responsible for creating bone. Binding stimulates osteoblasts to increase their expression of RANKL and inhibits their secretion of Osteoprotegerin (OPG). Free OPG competitively binds to RANKL as a decoy receptor, preventing RANKL from interacting with RANK, a receptor for RANKL. The binding of RANKL to RANK (facilitated by the decreased amount of OPG available for binding the excess RANKL) stimulates these osteoclast precursors to fuse, forming new osteoclasts, which ultimately enhances bone resorption.

In the kidney, approximately 250 mmol of calcium ions are filtered into the glomerular filtrate per day. Most of this (245 mmol/d) is reabsorbed from the tubular fluid, leaving about 5 mmol/d to be excreted in the urine. This reabsorption occurs throughout the tubule (most, 60-70%, of it in the proximal tubule), except in the thin segment of the loop of Henle. Circulating parathyroid hormone only influences the reabsorption that occurs in the distal tubules and the renal collecting ducts (but see Foot Note). A more important effect of PTH on the kidney is, however, its inhibition of the reabsorption of phosphate (HPO₄^2-) from the tubular fluid, resulting in a decrease in the plasma phosphate concentration. Phosphate ions form water-insoluble salts with calcium. Thus, a decrease in the phosphate concentration of the blood plasma (for a given total calcium concentration) increases the amount of calcium that is ionized. A third important effect of PTH on the kidney is its stimulation of the conversion of 25-hydroxy vitamin D into 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D (calcitriol), which is released into the circulation. This latter form of vitamin D is the active hormone which stimulates calcium uptake from the intestine.

In the intestine, via kidney, PTH enhances the absorption of calcium in the intestine by increasing the production of activated vitamin D. Vitamin D activation occurs in the kidney. PTH up-regulates 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ 1-alpha-hydroxylase, the enzyme responsible for 1-alpha hydroxylation of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, converting vitamin D to its active form (1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D). This activated form of vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium (as Ca²⁺ ions) by the intestine via calbindin.

PTH was one of the first hormones to be shown to use the G-protein, adenylyl cyclase second messenger system.

Regulation of serum phosphate

PTH reduces the reabsorption of phosphate from the proximal tubule of the kidney, which means more phosphate is excreted through the urine.

However, PTH enhances the uptake of phosphate from the intestine and bones into the blood. In the bone, slightly more calcium than phosphate is released from the breakdown of bone. In the intestines, absorption of both calcium and phosphate is mediated by an increase in activated vitamin D. The absorption of phosphate is not as dependent on vitamin D as is that of calcium. The end result of PTH release is a small net drop in the serum concentration of phosphate.

Vitamin D synthesis

PTH increases the activity of 1-α-hydroxylase enzyme, which converts 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, the major circulating form of inactive vitamin D, into 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, the active form of vitamin D, in the kidney.

Interactive pathway map

Click on genes, proteins and metabolites below to link to respective articles.

[[File:

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

[[

]]

|{{{bSize}}}px|alt=Vitamin D Synthesis Pathway edit]]

File:VitaminDSynthesis WP1531.png

Vitamin D Synthesis Pathway edit

Regulation of PTH secretion

Secretion of parathyroid hormone is determined chiefly by serum ionized calcium concentration through negative feedback. Calcium-sensing receptors located on parathyroid cells are activated when [Ca²⁺] is elevated. The G-protein coupled calcium receptors bind extracellular calcium and may be found on the surface on a wide variety of cells distributed in the brain, heart, skin, stomach, C cells, and other tissues. In the parathyroid gland, high concentrations of extracellular calcium result in activation of the Gq G-protein coupled cascade through the action of phospholipase C. This hydrolyzes phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) to liberate intracellular messengers IP3 and diacylglycerol (DAG). Ultimately, these two messengers result in a release of calcium from intracellular stores and a subsequent flux of extracellular calcium into the cytoplasmic space. The effect of this signaling of high extracellular calcium results in an intracellular calcium concentration that inhibits the secretion of preformed PTH from storage granules in the parathyroid gland. In contrast to the mechanism that most secretory cells use, calcium inhibits vesicle fusion and release of PTH.

In the parathyroids, magnesium serves this role in stimulus-secretion coupling. A mild decrease in serum magnesium levels stimulates the resorptive activity PTH has on the kidneys. Severe Hypomagnesemia inhibits PTH secretion and also causes resistance to PTH, leading to a form of hypoparathyroidism that is reversible.

Stimulators

• Decreased serum [Ca²⁺].
• Mild decreases in serum [Mg²⁺].
• An increase in serum phosphate (increased phosphate causes it to complex with serum calcium, forming calcium phosphate, which reduces stimulation of Ca-sensitive receptors (CaSr) that do not sense calcium phosphate, triggering an increase in PTH).

Inhibitors

• Increased serum [Ca²⁺].
• Severe decreases in serum [Mg²⁺], which also produces symptoms of hypoparathyroidism (such as hypocalcemia).
• Calcitriol

Clinical significance

Hyperparathyroidism, the presence of excessive amounts of parathyroid hormone in the blood, occurs in two very distinct sets of circumstances. Primary hyperparathyroidism is due to autonomous, abnormal hypersecretion of PTH from the parathyroid gland, while secondary hyperparathyroidism is an appropriately high PTH level seen as a physiological response to hypocalcaemia. A low level of PTH in the blood is known as hypoparathyroidism and is most commonly due to damage to or removal of parathyroid glands during thyroid surgery.

There are a number of rare but well-described genetic conditions affecting parathyroid hormone metabolism, including pseudohypoparathyroidism, familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia, and autosomal dominant hypercalciuric hypocalcaemia. In osteoporotic women, administration of an exogenous parathyroid hormone analogue (teriparatide, by daily injection) superimposed on estrogen therapy produced increases in bone mass and reduced vertebral and nonvertebral fractures by 45 to 65%.

Measurement

PTH can be measured in the blood in several different forms: intact PTH; N-terminal PTH; mid-molecule PTH, and C-terminal PTH, and different tests are used in different clinical situations.

The average PTH level is 8–51 pg/mL. Normal total plasma calcium level ranges from 8.5 to 10.2 mg/dL (2.12 mmol/L to 2.55 mmol/L).

Model organisms

Model organisms have been used in the study of PTH function. A conditional knockout mouse line called Pth^{tm1a(EUCOMM)Wtsi} was generated at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. Male and female animals underwent a standardized phenotypic screen to determine the effects of deletion. Additional screens performed: - In-depth immunological phenotyping

Pth knockout mouse phenotype

Characteristic	Phenotype
All data available at.
Insulin	Normal
Homozygous viability at P14	Normal
Homozygous Fertility	Normal
Body weight	Normal
Neurological assessment	Normal
Grip strength	Normal
Dysmorphology	Normal
Indirect calorimetry	Normal
Glucose tolerance test	Normal
Auditory brainstem response	Normal
DEXA	Normal
Radiography	Normal
Eye morphology	Normal
Clinical chemistry	Abnormal
Haematology 16 Weeks	Normal
Peripheral blood leukocytes 16 Weeks	Normal
Salmonella infection	Normal

See also

• Calcium metabolism
• Disorders of calcium metabolism
• Parathyroid hormone family
• Parathyroid hormone-related protein

External links

• PTH at Lab Tests Online
• Parathyroid hormone: analyte monograph - the Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine
• Parathyroid Function Test Online