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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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UCN2
urocortin 2
Chromosome 3 · 3p21.31
NCBI Gene: 90226Ensembl: ENSG00000145040.4HGNC: HGNC:18414UniProt: Q96RP3
36PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
neuropeptide hormone activityGO:0005615general adaptation syndromehormone-mediated signaling pathwaybreast ductal adenocarcinomaheart failurecolorectal carcinomasystemic scleroderma
✦AI Summary

UCN2 (urocortin 2) encodes a neuropeptide hormone that functions as a selective ligand for corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2 (CRHR2) and plays crucial roles in metabolic regulation and cardiovascular homeostasis 12. The primary function involves suppressing food intake and regulating energy balance, with modified UCN2 peptides demonstrating insulin-sensitizing effects in skeletal muscle through enhanced glucose transport and improved insulin signaling via increased Akt phosphorylation 2. UCN2 treatment increases skeletal muscle mass by modulating both anabolic and catabolic pathways, including upregulation of IGF1 and downregulation of TRIM63, while enhancing protein synthesis rates 1. In cardiovascular contexts, UCN2 exhibits cardioprotective properties, with higher blood levels associated with lower blood pressure and improved lipid profiles in healthy individuals 34. The peptide also demonstrates anti-tumor properties in colorectal cancer by regulating the miR-7/YY1/Fas signaling pathway, enhancing cancer cell sensitivity to apoptosis 5. Clinically, blood UCN2 levels show potential as biomarkers for heart failure assessment, exhibiting negative correlation with cardiac ejection fraction 4, while transcript levels in blood cells may serve as biomarkers for dietary fat consumption patterns in children 6.

Sources cited
1
UCN2 functions through CRHR2 receptor and increases skeletal muscle mass by modulating anabolic/catabolic pathways
PMID: 34342159
2
UCN2 acts as insulin sensitizer in skeletal muscle through enhanced glucose transport and Akt phosphorylation
PMID: 31010957
3
Higher UCN2 levels associated with lower blood pressure and better lipid profiles
PMID: 37245228
4
Blood UCN2 levels negatively correlate with cardiac ejection fraction in heart failure patients
PMID: 40275076
5
UCN2/CRHR2 signaling regulates miR-7/YY1/Fas pathway and enhances cancer cell apoptosis sensitivity
PMID: 28929494
6
UCN2 transcript levels in blood cells serve as biomarkers for fatty food consumption
PMID: 26168276
Disease Associationsⓘ20
breast ductal adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
heart failureOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
systemic sclerodermaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
Pallister-Hall syndromeOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
renal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
interstitial lung diseaseOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Crohn's diseaseOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
obesityOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Insulin resistanceOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
synovial sarcomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
myopathyOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
myositisOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
colorectal adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
laryngotracheoesophageal cleftOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
hypertensionOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
AnorexiaOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
polymyositisOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
UCNProtein interaction100%CRHProtein interaction100%CRHBPProtein interaction72%POMCProtein interaction71%CRHR1Protein interaction69%UCN3Protein interaction67%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Bone Marrow
100%
Lung
100%
Ovary
83%
Liver
33%
Heart
0%
Brain
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
UCN2UCNCRHCRHBPPOMCCRHR1UCN3
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB3N95 · 2.72 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.93LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.02Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF1.58 [0.58–1.93]
RankingsWhere UCN2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #10,892of 20,598
    Most Researched36
  • #17,500of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.93
Genes detectedUCN2
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Modified UCN2 peptide treatment improves skeletal muscle mass and function in mouse models of obesity-induced insulin resistance.
PMID: 34342159
J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle · 2021
1.00
2
Urocortin2 measurement for heart failure assessment.
PMID: 40275076
Sci Rep · 2025
0.90
3
Modified UCN2 Peptide Acts as an Insulin Sensitizer in Skeletal Muscle of Obese Mice.
PMID: 31010957
Diabetes · 2019
0.80
4
TAS1R3 and UCN2 Transcript Levels in Blood Cells Are Associated With Sugary and Fatty Food Consumption in Children.
PMID: 26168276
J Clin Endocrinol Metab · 2015
0.70
5
Identification of novel enriched recurrent chimeric COL7A1-UCN2 in human laryngeal cancer samples using deep sequencing.
PMID: 29499655
BMC Cancer · 2018
0.60