The role of DNA methylation in the expression of parathyroid hormone-related protein in humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy

Hypercalcaemia is a complication in approximately 10% of malignant disorders and is particularly common in patients with tumours of epithelial origin [l]. In a ,high proportion of these patients the hypercalcaemia is due to the production of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) [2]. This peptide has strong homology to PTH at the N-terminus [3] and closely mimics the action of PTH by binding to the same receptor [4]. Since the isolation of...