Expression of a calcium-mobilizing parathyroid hormone-like peptide in lactating mammary tissue - PubMed (original) (raw)

Comparative Study

. 1988 Oct 14;242(4876):278-80.

doi: 10.1126/science.3175653.

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Comparative Study

Expression of a calcium-mobilizing parathyroid hormone-like peptide in lactating mammary tissue

M A Thiede et al. Science. 1988.

Abstract

A survey of rat tissues by RNA analysis, aimed at uncovering the physiological function of the parathyroid hormone-like peptide (PTH-LP) associated with hypercalcemia of malignancy, revealed the presence of a 1.5-kilobase messenger RNA encoding this peptide in lactating mammary glands. PTH-LP messenger RNA is expressed in mammary tissue only during lactation; it appears and disappears rapidly (2 to 4 hours) as a function of the sucking stimulus. The identity of this messenger RNA was confirmed by cloning the rat PTH-LP complementary DNA, which predicts a peptide with strong similarity to the human homolog. Moreover, extracts from lactating mammary tissue stimulated parathyroid hormone-dependent adenylate cyclase. These findings suggest that PTH-LP plays a physiological role in lactation, possibly as a hormone for the mobilization or transfer (or both) of calcium to the milk.

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