A Review of Calcitonin Receptor Expression in Embryonic, Foetal and Adult Tissues, with an Hypothesis on the Connection Between Expression During Foetal Development and Disease

Calcitonin receptor-positive cell populations play a central role in the implantation process of the early blastocyst, in organogenesis of foetal tissues, in several physiological contexts in adult including wound healing and lactation, and in the aetiology of diseases such as certain cancers and cardiovascular disease. Calcitonin receptor (CTR) is expressed by specific precursor cell populations from different lineages including sub-populations of the haematopoietic lineage, as well as differentiated progeny when located in specific micro-environments. Here the central hypothesis is expounded, which proposes that there is the potential of cellular components of the haematopoietic lineage to express CTR, which is a characteristic property.