PeptideHormone

Parathyroid-hormone-related proteinPTHrP

A PTH-receptor ligand central to development — and to cancer hypercalcemia.

EndogenousEstablished

Identity

Class
Peptide hormone (multiple isoforms, ~139–173 aa)
Source
Many tissues (paracrine); some tumors
Receptor
PTH1 receptor (PTH1R) — shared with PTH

Mechanism

PTHrP shares PTH's N-terminus and acts on the same PTH1 receptor, but functions largely as a local (paracrine) signal in development — notably in cartilage and bone growth. When tumors secrete it systemically, it drives the most common form of malignancy-associated hypercalcemia.

Reference notes

  • PTHrP and PTH act on the same receptor but in different contexts — development vs minute-to-minute calcium control.
  • Tumor secretion of PTHrP is the leading cause of hypercalcemia of malignancy.
  • It is essential to normal endochondral bone growth.

Selected literature

Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.

  1. 1.Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and malignancy · Vitamins and hormones, 2022 · PMID 35953108
  2. 2.Parathyroid hormone-related protein · Critical reviews in clinical laboratory sciences, 1995 · PMID 7495499