Parathyroid-hormone-related proteinPTHrP
A PTH-receptor ligand central to development — and to cancer hypercalcemia.
A developmental signal that speaks through PTH's receptor — and, when a tumour reactivates it, the same words in the wrong context.
Identity
- Class
- Peptide hormone (multiple isoforms, ~139–173 aa)
- Source
- Many tissues (paracrine); some tumors
- Receptor
- PTH1 receptor (PTH1R) — shared with PTH
Key properties
Evidence floorPreclinicalREF1PRE1Approximate values for the native hormone; engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting. Each figure carries its own provenance tier, and the floor is the weakest of them - the Standard.
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.
Common questions
- What is Parathyroid-hormone-related protein (PTHrP)?
- A PTH-receptor ligand central to development — and to cancer hypercalcemia. Structurally it is Peptide hormone (multiple isoforms, ~139–173 aa).
- How does PTHrP work?
- 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.
- How strong is the evidence for PTHrP?
- PeptideHormone grades PTHrP at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.
- What is the half-life of PTHrP?
- The reported circulating half-life of PTHrP is ~minutes in plasma (isoform-dependent).
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.Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and malignancy · Vitamins and hormones, 2022 · PMID 35953108
- 2.Parathyroid hormone-related protein · Critical reviews in clinical laboratory sciences, 1995 · PMID 7495499
External references
PTHrP in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.