Search

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is a key regulator of skeletal physiology and calcium and phosphate homeostasis. It acts on bone and kidney to stimulate bone turnover, increase the circulating levels of 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D and calcium and inhibit the reabsorption of phosphate from the glomerular filtrate. Dysregulated PTH actions contribute to or are the cause of several endocrine disorders. This calciotropic hormone exerts its actions via binding to the PTH/PTH-related peptide receptor (PTH1R), which couples to multiple heterotrimeric G proteins, including G s and G q/11 Genetic mutations affecting the activity or expression of the alpha-subunit of G s , encoded by the GNAS complex locus, are responsible for several human diseases for which the clinical findings result, at least partly, from aberrant PTH signaling. Here, we review the bone and renal actions of PTH with respect to the different signaling pathways downstream of these G proteins, as well as the disorders caused by GNAS mutations., (© 2017 Society for Endocrinology.)

Objective: Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia resulting from selective renal resistance to parathyroid hormone (PTH). One autosomal dominant form of PHP type 1b (PHP-Ib) is most frequently caused by a maternally inherited 3-kb deletion within STX16, the gene encoding syntaxin 16. To date, increased bone mineral density (BMD) has been described only in PHP type 1a, and there is a lack of detailed information on bone histomorphometry in PHP-Ib. The objective of this report was to present trans-iliac static and dynamic histomorphometry in two brothers with the 3-kb deletion in the STX16 region and elevated BMD., Design: Observational study of two brothers (age 18.0 and 22.7 years) with the 3-kb STX16 deletion and increased BMD., Results: The brothers had elevated PTH (146 pg/ml (15.6 pmol/l) and 102 pg/ml (10.9 pmol/l); normal: 10-64 pg/ml (1.1-6.8 pmol/l)) and striking osteosclerosis (lumbar spine areal BMD Z-scores: +5.4 and +4.9). Bone histomorphometry showed marked elevations in cortical width for both brothers (241 and 209% of the mean result expected for age), with elevations in the bone formation rate on the endocortical (119 and 260% of the healthy mean) and trabecular (220 and 190% of mean) surfaces., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that PTH in this PHP-Ib genotype can increase cortical thickness due to its anabolic effect on endocortical bone, and underscore the heterogeneity in the skeletal phenotype among patients with PHP-Ib.

Infantile cortical hyperostosis (Caffey disease) is characterized by spontaneous episodes of subperiosteal new bone formation along 1 or more bones commencing within the first 5 months of life. A genome-wide screen for genetic linkage in a large family with an autosomal dominant form of Caffey disease (ADC) revealed a locus on chromosome 17q21 (LOD score, 6.78). Affected individuals and obligate carriers were heterozygous for a missense mutation (3040Ctwo head right arrowT) in exon 41 of the gene encoding the alpha1(I) chain of type I collagen (COL1A1), altering residue 836 (R836C) in the triple-helical domain of this chain. The same mutation was identified in affected members of 2 unrelated, smaller families with ADC, but not in 2 prenatal cases and not in more than 300 chromosomes from healthy individuals. Fibroblast cultures from an affected individual produced abnormal disulfide-bonded dimeric alpha1(I) chains. Dermal collagen fibrils of the same individual were larger, more variable in shape and size, and less densely packed than those in control samples. Individuals bearing the mutation, whether they had experienced an episode of cortical hyperostosis or not, had joint hyperlaxity, hyperextensible skin, and inguinal hernias resembling symptoms of a mild form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type III. These findings extend the spectrum of COL1A1-related diseases to include a hyperostotic disorder.

A novel heterozygous PTH/PTHrP receptor missense mutation (T410R) was identified in a male and his two sons who are all affected by a less severe form of Jansen's metaphyseal chondrodysplasia (JMC). JMC is a rare disorder that is typically characterized by severe growth plate abnormalities that lead to short-limbed dwarfism. Furthermore, affected individuals usually show significant hypercalcemia, despite normal or undetectable levels of PTH and PTHrP. In contrast, the three affected members of this new family showed only mild skeletal dysplasia, comparatively normal stature, and blood calcium concentrations either within or at the upper end of the normal range. However, PTH levels were suppressed, and urinary calcium excretion was elevated, which led to nephrolithiasis in both children. When expressed in COS-7 cells, the PTH/PTHrP receptor with the T410R mutation led to agonist-independent cAMP formation, which was less pronounced than that observed with the previously identified T410P mutant. Our findings indicate that a mild form of JMC has been identified that is characterized by less pronounced skeletal and laboratory abnormalities.