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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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GNRH2
gonadotropin releasing hormone 2
Chromosome 20 · 20p13
NCBI Gene: 2797Ensembl: ENSG00000125787.12HGNC: HGNC:4420UniProt: O43555
62PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
gonadotropin hormone-releasing hormone activityGO:0005615gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor bindingsignal transductionendometrial cancerbreast cancerprostate cancerendometriosis
✦AI Summary

GNRH2 (gonadotropin-releasing hormone 2) is a highly conserved peptide hormone that has diverged functionally from its paralog GnRH1 in mammals 1. Unlike GnRH1, which drives reproduction through gonadotropin regulation, GNRH2 is ubiquitously expressed in peripheral tissues and brain regions outside the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, suggesting distinct biological roles 1. GNRH2 coordinates nutritional status with sexual behavior in the female brain and directly stimulates steroidogenesis in reproductive organs, particularly the testis 1. The gene shows conservation across 500 million years of evolution, indicating critical selective pressure, though it is absent or non-functional in some mammalian species including rodents 1. GNRH2 expression occurs in gastrointestinal enteric neurons where it influences motility and secretion 2. Clinically, GNRH2 and its receptor represent emerging therapeutic targets; GNRH2 analogues demonstrate anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects against reproductive cancers including breast, ovarian, endometrial, and prostate malignancies 3. Genetic variants in GNRH2 associate with osteosarcoma susceptibility and survival outcomes 4, and GNRH2 shows protective associations with esophageal cancer risk 5.

Sources cited
1
GNRH2 has diverse functions distinct from GnRH1; ubiquitously expressed in peripheral tissues; regulates steroidogenesis in reproductive organs; conserved across 500 million years
PMID: 29312140
2
Most vertebrate species including humans have GnRH2 gene; less known about GnRH2 neuron development compared to GnRH1
PMID: 32184073
3
GNRH2 precursor mRNA structure and differential spatiotemporal expression; evidence for alternative splicing in GNRH2
PMID: 11170016
4
GNRH2 and GnRHR2 detected in reproductive tissues and cancer cells; GnRH2 analogues show anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic effects on reproductive cancers
PMID: 38260130
5
GNRH2 mRNA present in human gastrointestinal tract; GnRH influences gastrointestinal motility and secretion
PMID: 28638366
6
GNRH2 variant rs3761243 associated with osteosarcoma risk and survival outcomes
PMID: 32994424
7
GNRH2 shows protective association with esophageal cancer risk
PMID: 40059241
8
GNRH2 widely distributed in central nervous system and expressed in peripheral tissues of mammals; expressed in prostate tissues
PMID: 37648321
Disease Associationsⓘ20
endometrial cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
prostate cancerOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
endometriosisOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
ovarian cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
smoking initiationOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
endometrial carcinomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
obesityOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
Benign Ovarian NeoplasmOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
osteosarcomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
Myocardial IschemiaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
Gastrointestinal dysmotilityOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
glioblastomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
head and neck malignant neoplasiaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
triple-negative breast cancerOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
FSHBProtein interaction100%GNRHRProtein interaction100%MAPK3Protein interaction99%AKT1Protein interaction99%KISS1RProtein interaction98%KISS1Protein interaction95%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Ovary
100%
Liver
85%
Bone Marrow
47%
Brain
14%
Lung
10%
Heart
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
GNRH2FSHBGNRHRMAPK3AKT1KISS1RKISS1
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt O43555
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.75LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF1.17 [0.78–1.75]
RankingsWhere GNRH2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #7,464of 20,598
    Most Researched62
  • #16,327of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.75
Genes detectedGNRH2
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuron development in vertebrates.
PMID: 32184073
Gen Comp Endocrinol · 2020
1.00
2
Cloning and characterization of cDNAs encoding the GnRH1 and GnRH2 precursors from bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana).
PMID: 11170016
J Exp Zool · 2001
0.90
3
PMID: 37648321
Anticancer Res · 2023
0.80
4
Expression and Role of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone 2 and Its Receptor in Mammals.
PMID: 29312140
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) · 2017
0.70
5
Identification of biomarkers and potential drug targets for esophageal cancer: a Mendelian randomization study.
PMID: 40059241
Sci Rep · 2025
0.60