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Updated: May 20, 2026

Models of Bone Metastasis
Published on: September 4, 2012
The multifaceted actions of PTHrP in skeletal metastasis
Fabiana N Soki1, Serk In Park, Laurie K McCauley
1Department of Periodontics & Oral Medicine, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, 1011 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Abstract:
PTHrP, identified during the elucidation of mediators of malignancy-induced hypercalcemia, plays numerous roles in normal physiology as well as pathological conditions. Recent data support direct functions of PTHrP in metastasis, particularly from tumors with strong bone tropism. Bone provides a unique metastatic environment because of mineralization and the diverse cell populations in the bone marrow. PTHrP is a key regulator of tumor-bone interactions and regulates cells in the bone microenvironment through proliferative and prosurvival activities that prime the 'seed' and the 'soil' of the metastatic lesion. This review highlights recent findings regarding the role of PTHrP in skeletal metastasis, including direct actions in tumor cells, as well as alterations in the bone microenvironment and future perspectives involving the potential roles of PTHrP in the premetastatic niche, and tumor dormancy.
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