Mouse anti-Calcitonin, Clone CL1948 (monoclonal) - 1 ml

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% of the CT/CGRP is processed and translated to produce CT, however, in neuronal cells 99% 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% of cases) and hereditary form (25% of cases).