Pthlh - parathyroid hormone-like peptide

This gene encodes a member of the parathyroid family of hormones that possesses distinct paracrine and intracrine signaling roles such as regulation of circulating calcium, transplacental calcium transport, osteoclast inhibition, renal bicarbonate excretion and regulation of apoptosis. The encoded protein undergoes proteolytic processing to generate multiple active peptides with distinct signaling functions. The homozygous deletion of this gene leads to death shortly after birth with a chondrodystrophic phenotype characterized by premature chondrocyte differentiation and accelerated bone formation. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2015]