MODE OF ACTION OF THE PARATHYROID-HORMONE (PTH) AND THE PTH-RELATED PEPTIDE (PTHRP) IN CLASSICAL PTH-TARGET ORGANS

Calcium and phosphorus metabolism is mainly regulated by PTH through its actions on kidney and bone. PTHrP, which is associated with the hypercalcemia of malignancy syndrome, binds to and activates the same receptor that PTH does. cDNA clones of PTH/PTHrP receptors from rat osteosarcoma (ROS 17/2.8) and opossum kidney (OK) cells are highly homologous and are members of a novel G protein-linked receptor family that includes calcitonin, glucagon, GLP-1, GHRH, VIP, and secretin receptors. Analysis of the protein sequence predicts a receptor with 7 transmembrane domains, a 155 amino acids (aa) extracellular (EC) N-terminal, and 130aa intracellular C-terminal domaina. The extracellular domain has 6 conserved cysteines and 4 potential glycosylation sites. When transfected in COS cells, both receptors are able to bind PTH and PTHrP active fragments with equal affinity. Likewise, agonists activate both adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C efficiently. The N-terminal EC domain and the first EC loop seem to determine the receptor binding capacity with the agonists. Activation of adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C might involve multiple sites between the 3rd helix and the C-terminal tail. Partial characterization of the rat PTH/PTHrP receptor gene demonstrates the existence of at least 15 exons. The first six transmembrane domains are encoded by separated exons. The PTH/PTHrP receptor mRNA is expressed mainly in kidney and bone, and also is widely expressed in many tissues, but not all. A major 2.3-2.5 kb transcript is observed in all these tissues. Nevertheless, 2 larger transcripts are observed in kidney and liver, and multiple smaller mRNA species are observed in kidney, skin, and testis. Whether the presence of multiple mRNA species represent the product of multiple transcriptional start sites, alternative polyadenylation site, alternative mRNA splicing, and/or mRNAs that are encoded by multiple genes is unknown. In conclusion, the cloning of the PTH/PTHrP receptors reveals that PTH and PTHrP can stimulate both adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C. These properties and the existence of multiple transcripts widely expressed in many tissues might explain the diversity of PTH and PTHrP actions.