Preferred Label : parathyroid gland;
Uberon definition : The parathyroid gland is an endocrine gland for secretion of parathyroid hormone,
usually found as a pair, embedded in the connective tissue capsule on the posterior
surface of the thyroid gland. Parathyroid regulates calcium and phosphorous metabolism.;
Uberon synonym : parathyroid;
Uberon related term : parathyroid secreting cell; epithelial body;
Uberon Development note : In humans and chick it emerges from pouches 3 and 4, but in mice it is exclusively
generated by the third pouch;
Uberon Homology note : The evolution of the tetrapods, and the shift from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment,
was believed to have required new controls for regulating calcium homeostasis, and
thus the evolution of parathyroid glands (...) both the tetrapod parathyroid and the
gills of fish contribute to the regulation of extracellular calcium levels. It is
therefore reasonable to suggest that the parathyroid gland evolved as a result of
the transformation of the gills into the parathyroid glands of tetrapods and the transition
from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment. This interpretation would also explain
the positioning of the parathyroid gland within the pharynx in the tetrapod body.
Were the parathyroid gland to have emerged de novo with the evolution of the tetrapods
it could, as an endocrine organ, have been placed anywhere in the body and still exert
its effect.[well established][VHOG];
Uberon Taxon note : Parathyroid glands are found in all adult tetrapods, although they vary in their number,
and in their exact position. Mammals typically have four parathyroids, while other
groups typically have six. Fish do not possess parathyroid glands, although the ultimobranchial
glands, which are found close to the oesophagus, may have a similar function and could
even be homologous with the tetrapod parathyroids. Even these glands are absent in
the most primitive vertebrates, the jawless fish, but as these species have no bone
in their skeletons, only cartilage, it may be that they have less need to regulate
calcium metabolism. The conserved homology of genes and calcium-sensing receptors
in fish gills with those in the parathryroid glands of birds and mammals is recognized
by evolutionary developmental biology as evolution-using genes and gene networks in
novel ways to generate new structures with some similar functions and novel functions[WP];
Origin ID : 0001132;
UMLS CUI : C0030518;
Automatic exact mappings (from CISMeF team)
- Currated CISMeF NLP mapping
- Semantic type(s)
- UMLS correspondences (same concept)
- Uberon cross reference
- has part
The parathyroid gland is an endocrine gland for secretion of parathyroid hormone,
usually found as a pair, embedded in the connective tissue capsule on the posterior
surface of the thyroid gland. Parathyroid regulates calcium and phosphorous metabolism.
