Parathyroid hormone

Hormone · 84 amino acids PTH1R, Gs-cAMP t1/2 ~4 min

An 84-amino-acid peptide from the chief cells with a half-life of only about four minutes, acting through the Gs-coupled PTH1R on bone and kidney. Its net effect is to raise serum calcium and lower serum phosphate.

Traced from the start

  1. Fall in ionised calciumRise in ionised calcium
  2. Calcium-sensing receptor on parathyroid chief cells
  3. Parathyroid hormone

Detail

Structure
84 amino acids; biological activity resides in residues 1-34, the fragment marketed as teriparatide; half-life 2-4 minutes, cleared by liver and kidney
Receptor
PTH1R, the shared PTH/PTHrP receptor, Gs-coupled to adenylyl cyclase and cAMP-PKA, on osteoblasts, osteocytes and the renal tubule
Four actions
Bone resorption (indirectly, through osteoblast RANKL), distal tubular calcium reabsorption, proximal tubular phosphate wasting, and stimulation of the renal 1-alpha-hydroxylase
Net biochemistry
Serum calcium up, serum phosphate down, urinary phosphate up, urinary cAMP up, calcitriol up
Suppressed by
Hypercalcaemia through the calcium-sensing receptor, calcitriol acting on the PTH gene, FGF23, and severe hypomagnesaemia

When it goes wrong

Parathyroid adenoma (about 85% of primary hyperparathyroidism), four-gland hyperplasia (10-15%, MEN 1 and MEN 2A) or carcinoma (under 1%)

Hypercalcaemia with a PTH that is raised or inappropriately inside the reference range; the short half-life is what makes intraoperative PTH monitoring work, a fall of more than 50% at ten minutes predicting cure

Severe hypomagnesaemia from proton pump inhibitors, alcohol, diuretics or cisplatin

Both PTH secretion and PTH action fail: hypocalcaemia that stays refractory to calcium replacement until magnesium is restored

Intermittent daily teriparatide compared with continuous PTH excess

Intermittent exposure is anabolic and builds trabecular bone; continuous exposure is catabolic and drives resorption

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