title: The mouse relaxin gene: nucleotide sequence and expression.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Summers
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cronk
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shine
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Tregear
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D012065:Relaxin / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D012065:Relaxin; D004247:DNA