Parathyroid hormone is the most important endocrine regulator of calcium and phosphorus concentration in extracellular fluid. This hormone is secreted from cells of the parathyroid glands and finds its major target cells in bone and kidney. Another hormone, parathyroid hormone-related protein, binds to the same receptor as parathyroid hormone and has major effects on development. Like most other protein hormones, parathyroid hormone is synthesized as a preprohormone. After intracellular processing, the mature hormone is packaged within the Golgi into secretory vesicles, the secreted into blood by exocytosis. Parathyroid hormone is secreted as a linear protein of 84 amino acids.