Species Human Entrez 1907 | Human Mouse Ensembl ENSG00000127129 | |
Aliases EDN2, ET2, PPET2, ET-2, endothelin 2 External IDs MGI: 95284 HomoloGene: 1477 GeneCards: EDN2 | ||
Endothelin 2, also known as ET-2, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EDN2 gene.
Function
Endothelin 2 is a member of the endothelin protein family of secretory vasoconstrictive peptides. The preproprotein is processed to a short mature form which functions as a ligand for the endothelin receptors that initiate intracellular signaling events. This gene product is involved in a wide range of biological processes, such as hypertension and ovulation.
Endothelin 2 (ET-2) expression is mainly localized to the granulosa cells within the follicle, as observed in bovine, murine, and human ovarian tissue. Endothelin 2 has functions within the ovarian follicle related to ovulation. ET-2 causes strong contractions in smooth muscle cells of ovarian tissue, and ET-2 production is highest just before ovulation.