Nature Communications ｜Light regulates parathyroid hormone secretion to interfere with bone loss

On February 9, 2022, Beijing time, Yang Fan's research group from the Institute of Brain Cognition and Brain Diseases, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Brain Science Innovation Research Institute published an article entitled "An optogenetic approach for regulating human parathyroid" in Nature Communications The latest research results of hormone secretion"
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For 5 years, the research team has innovatively applied optogenetic technology to the regulation of parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion, and through precise rhythmic regulation of PTH secretion, it can interfere with bone loss caused by secondary hyperparathyroidism

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is a hormone secreted by parathyroid chief cells and plays a crucial role in maintaining calcium and phosphorus homeostasis and bone metabolism
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The secretion of PTH is regulated by the calcium sensing receptors (CaSR) on the chief cells of the parathyroid gland by sensing the blood calcium concentration

The research team first found that the expression of CaSR in parathyroid cells of patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism decreased, the membrane potential and intracellular calcium response decreased in the face of extracellular calcium stimulation, and PTH was secreted at a high level
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The use of optogenetic modulation of parathyroid cells can induce changes in membrane potential and intracellular calcium response, and inhibit PTH secretion

In December 2020, Yang Fan's team and collaborators analyzed a neural circuit that mediates chronic stress-induced anxiety and bone loss; it was found that this central neural circuit regulates peripheral sympathetic nerve activity and norepinephrine secretion.
Anxiety-induced abnormal bone metabolism (J Clin Invest.
2020)
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In this study, optogenetics was applied to the regulation of PTH secretion for the first time, and the precise rhythmic regulation of PTH was achieved; furthermore, the precise regulation of PTH rhythmic secretion was used to intervene in bone metabolism, laying a foundation for analyzing the neuroendocrine mechanism of bone loss caused by anxiety, and for effective Intervening the abnormal secretion of PTH and relieving the symptoms of anxiety and bone loss related to hyperparathyroidism provides a scientific basis

The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangdong Province and Shenzhen Project

Paper link: https://