Calcitonin (polyclonal), 7 ml

Antigen Background

Calcitonin (CT) is a 32 amino acid peptide synthesized by the parafollicular C cells of the thyroid. It acts through its receptors to inhibit osteoclast mediated bone resorption, decrease calcium resorption by the kidney and decrease calcium absorption by the intestines. The action of calcitonin is therefore to cause a reduction in serum calcium, an effect opposite to that of parathyroid hormone. The calcitonin gene transcript also encodes the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which is thought to be a potent vasodilator. The tissue specificity of the transcript produced depends on alternative splicing of the CT/CGRP gene transcript. In the parafollicular cells of the thyroid 95 percent of the CT/CGRP is processed and translated to produce CT, however, in neuronal cells 99 percent of the CT/CGRP RNA is translated into CGRP. The C cells of the thyroid give rise to an endocrine tumor, medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), which occurs in a sporadic (75 percent of cases) and hereditary form (25 percent of cases). Familial MTC is associated with C cell hyperplasia (CCH), whereas sporadic MTC is thought not to be. However, in the general population CCH is present in 20-30 percent of thyroid glands, either with normal histology, thyroiditis or follicular tumors.

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