First Author | Evans BA | Year | 1993 |
Journal | J Mol Endocrinol | Volume | 10 |
Issue | 1 | Pages | 15-23 |
PubMed ID | 8452637 | Mgi Jnum | J:16006 |
Mgi Id | MGI:64102 | Doi | 10.1677/jme.0.0100015 |
Citation | Evans BA, et al. (1993) The mouse relaxin gene: nucleotide sequence and expression. J Mol Endocrinol 10(1):15-23 |
abstractText | Relaxin is a polypeptide hormone that has a variety of physiological effects both on remodelling of collagen and on uterine contractility. These are most apparent during pregnancy. The sequences of relaxin cDNAs derived from ovaries of late-pregnant random-bred Swiss mice have been established. Multiple subclones obtained from three independent polymerase chain reaction experiments were found to encode relaxins which were identical except at position 11 in the A chain (Ile or Val). All mouse relaxin cDNAs expressed in the ovary during pregnancy had an extra tyrosine inserted prior to the final A chain cysteine residue, a result confirmed by direct sequencing of relaxin peptides. Whilst this tyrosine insertion must have local effects on the folding of the A chain, structure-activity studies will clarify whether it perturbs functional interaction with the relaxin receptor. We have shown that there is a single relaxin gene in the mouse genome, and that expression during pregnancy occurs in the ovary but is not detectable in the placenta, uterus or fetus. |