PTHrP secretion is stimulated by CT and inhibited by CgA peptides

We studied the regulation of the secretion in vitro of the parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) associated with the hypercalcemia of malignancy by Chromogranin A (CgA)-derived peptides and by human calcitonin (CT) in the BEN human lung tumor cell line. The amino terminal peptide of CgA, CgA1-40, inhibited the secretion of PTHrP, whereas other peptides had no such effect. Human CT stimulated the secretion of PTHrP, whereas other hormones had no such effect. Both effects occurred in a dose-dependent manner. These studies reveal novel regulatory pathways among peptides and proteins that are commonly associated with each other and can have paracrine interactions. CgA may be processed at its multiple dibasic sites to peptides that regulate the secretion of its co-resident hormones, in this case PTHrP. In addition to a paracrine effect, CT may be clinically useful as a provocative agent for PTHrP secretion. Complex interactions are present among the calcium-regulating hormones and their associated proteins.