RLN1

gene
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Also known as H1

Summary

RLN1 (relaxin 1, HGNC:10026) is a protein-coding gene on chromosome 9p24.1, encoding Prorelaxin H1 (P04808). Relaxin is an ovarian hormone that acts with estrogen to produce dilatation of the birth canal in many mammals.

Relaxins are known endocrine and autocrine/paracrine hormones, belonging to the insulin gene superfamily. In humans there are three non-allelic relaxin genes, RLN1, RLN2 and RLN3, where RLN1 and RLN2 share high sequence homology. The protein encoded by this gene is synthesized as a single-chain polypeptide but the active form consists of an A chain and a B chain linked by disulfide bonds. Relaxin is produced by the ovary, and targets the mammalian reproductive system to ripen the cervix, elongate the pubic symphysis and inhibit uterine contraction. It may have additional roles in enhancing sperm motility, regulating blood pressure, controlling heart rate and releasing oxytocin and vasopressin.

Source: NCBI Gene 6013 — RefSeq curated summary.

At a glance

  • Clinical variants (ClinVar): 53 total
  • MANE Select transcript: NM_006911

Identifiers

Gene identifiers

FieldValue
HGNC IDHGNC:10026
Approved symbolRLN1
Namerelaxin 1
Location9p24.1
Locus typegene with protein product
StatusApproved
AliasesH1
Ensembl geneENSG00000107018
Ensembl biotypeprotein_coding
OMIM179730
Entrez6013

Gene structure

Transcript identifiers

Ensembl transcripts: 2 — 1 protein_coding, 1 protein_coding_CDS_not_defined

ENST00000223862, ENST00000487557

RefSeq mRNA: 1 — MANE Select: NM_006911 NM_006911

CCDS: CCDS6462

Canonical transcript exons

ENST00000223862 — 2 exons

ExonStartEnd
ENSE0000136864853395365339876
ENSE0000361337053349305335597

Expression profiles

Bgee: expression breadth ubiquitous, 132 present calls, max score 88.12.

FANTOM5 (CAGE): breadth tissue_specific, TPM avg 0.0099 / max 3.5370, expressed in 2 samples.

FANTOM5 promoters (1 alternative TSS)

Promoter IDTPM avgSamples expressed
998160.00992

Top tissues by expression

273 total, by Bgee expression score (0-100, higher = more expressed):

TissueAnatomy IDExpression scoreQuality
oocyteCL:000002388.12gold quality
primordial germ cell in gonadCL:0000670 ∩ UBERON:000099186.20gold quality
male germ line stem cell (sensu Vertebrata) in testisCL:0000089 ∩ UBERON:000047384.62gold quality
secondary oocyteCL:000065579.76gold quality
prostate glandUBERON:000236768.34gold quality
islet of LangerhansUBERON:000000662.24gold quality
granulocyteCL:000009460.13gold quality
buccal mucosa cellCL:000233656.91silver quality
adenohypophysisUBERON:000219656.51gold quality
pituitary glandUBERON:000000755.29gold quality
lymph nodeUBERON:000002954.85gold quality
tibialis anteriorUBERON:000138554.26silver quality
right uterine tubeUBERON:000130253.68gold quality
skin of hipUBERON:000155453.08silver quality
vermiform appendixUBERON:000115452.70gold quality
deltoidUBERON:000147651.28silver quality
pancreatic ductal cellCL:000207951.14silver quality
caecumUBERON:000115351.05gold quality
quadriceps femorisUBERON:000137750.42gold quality
frontal poleUBERON:000279550.41gold quality
middle frontal gyrusUBERON:000270250.30gold quality
ventricular zoneUBERON:000305350.22gold quality
paraflocculusUBERON:000535150.18gold quality
Brodmann (1909) area 10UBERON:001354150.18gold quality
thymusUBERON:000237049.92gold quality
epithelial cell of pancreasCL:000008349.66gold quality
vastus lateralisUBERON:000137949.45gold quality
oviduct epitheliumUBERON:000480449.43gold quality
Brodmann (1909) area 46UBERON:000648349.30gold quality
blood vessel layerUBERON:000479749.29gold quality

Single-cell (SCXA)

Detected in 1 experiment(s), a significant marker in 0.

ExperimentMarker?Max mean expression
E-ANND-3no1.21

Regulation

Is transcription factor: no

Upstream regulators (CollecTRI, top): NR3C1, PGR

miRNA regulators (miRDB)

31 targeting RLN1, top 30 by miRDB confidence (max_score; target_count = how many genes the miRNA targets in total — lower means more specific):

miRNAMax scoreAvg scoremiRNA target_count
HSA-MIR-3924100.0072.092394
HSA-MIR-8485100.0077.574731
HSA-MIR-485-3P99.9870.681585
HSA-MIR-539-3P99.9870.741616
HSA-MIR-520D-5P99.9873.344883
HSA-MIR-524-5P99.9873.434882
HSA-MIR-477599.9875.006394
HSA-MIR-590-3P99.9674.346478
HSA-MIR-329-3P99.9166.561234
HSA-MIR-362-3P99.9166.381267
HSA-MIR-394199.8670.542735
HSA-MIR-576-5P99.8470.462582
HSA-MIR-7157-5P99.6669.331829
HSA-MIR-452-5P99.6569.631762
HSA-MIR-4676-3P99.6569.311733
HSA-MIR-892C-3P99.6569.381745
HSA-MIR-431099.5968.842527
HSA-MIR-427699.5667.662514
HSA-MIR-154-3P99.5070.05831
HSA-MIR-487A-3P99.5069.95840
HSA-MIR-329-5P99.2768.111597
HSA-MIR-429199.2068.882969
HSA-MIR-3688-5P99.1269.671091
HSA-MIR-4796-3P99.0868.381681
HSA-MIR-4711-5P98.8968.00965
HSA-MIR-60398.5868.281603
HSA-MIR-6818-5P97.5067.101167
HSA-MIR-4727-3P96.7564.97415
HSA-MIR-10525-3P96.3268.04699
HSA-MIR-576-3P96.1465.63773

Literature-anchored findings (GeneRIF, showing 39)

  • demonstrated that prorelaxin has the ability to facilitate cell migration processes exclusive of its ability to stimulate cell proliferation (PMID:12865351)
  • Data describe the conformation of the relaxin-binding site of the leucine-rich G-protein-coupled receptor 7. (PMID:15695505)
  • results suggest that relaxin may contribute to follicle development through the mechanism of angiogenesis in the ovary (PMID:15956699)
  • rhRLX increases cardiac output and reduces arterial load irrespective of gender (PMID:15956701)
  • In naturally occurring cycles, increased serum relaxin is associated with augmented renal hemodynamics (PMID:15956702)
  • roles of the relaxin system in three potential causes of preterm birth are discussed (PMID:15956731)
  • human relaxin may accelerate the early stages of orthodontic tooth movement in rats (PMID:15956736)
  • relaxin-like hormones appear to be present early during C-cell hyperplasia and potentially functional relaxin/INSL3 ligand-receptor systems are present in human medullary thyroid carcinoma tissues and cell lines (PMID:15956746)
  • rhRLX increases cardiac output and reduces arterial load in hypertensive rats without reducing blood pressure. Time of response is dependent on model of hypertension. Rats with angiotensin II hypertension responded more rapidly to rhRLX than SHR. (PMID:16172427)
  • Relaxin stimulates leukocyte adhesion and migration through a relaxin receptor LGR7-dependent mechanism (PMID:16303766)
  • Relaxin signaling plays a role in prostate cancer progression. (PMID:17363522)
  • Relaxin signalling in THP-1 cells uses a novel phosphotyrosine-dependent pathway. (PMID:17509748)
  • Relaxin 1 is a candidate gene controlling lung function development in mice. (PMID:17804602)
  • Relaxin was positively related to insulin sensitivity and negatively to beta-cell function. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the correlation between relaxin and HOMA2 remained significant after adjustment for age, BMI. (PMID:18035445)
  • long-term exposure to relaxin confers growth inhibitory and anti-invasive properties in oestrogen-independent tumours in vivo, which may in part be mediated through a down-regulation of S100A4 (PMID:18718015)
  • RXFP1-inactive relaxin activates human glucocorticoid receptor. (PMID:19101597)
  • The hydrogen-bond network and electrostatic interactions between charged groups in INSL5 by NMR-monitored temperature and pH titrations was characterized. (PMID:19178384)
  • The antitumor effect of Rlx was mediated through degradation of tumor stroma, which provided increased access of infiltrating antitumor immune cells to their target tumor cells. (PMID:19329780)
  • decidual RLN expression is independent of lipopolysaccharide but may induce a local sterile inflammatory process which potentially contributes to extracellular matrix degradation and weakening of the fetal membranes (PMID:19467703)
  • There were no correlation between relaxin concentrations and the cervical length, indicating that relaxin is probably not the cause of preterm shortening of the cervix (PMID:19481729)
  • Women with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss demonstrate attenuated levels of serum relaxin across all pregnancy trimesters. (PMID:19695764)
  • Relaxin is a potent stimulator of osteoclastogenesis from hematopoietic precursors and regulates the activity of mature osteoclasts. (PMID:19833242)
  • In conclusion, we have identified S100A4 as a major mediator of the actions of relaxin in thyroid carcinoma cell motility and in vivo thyroid tumor angiogenesis. (PMID:20332215)
  • Endometrial expression of relaxin and its receptor in endometriosis. (PMID:20655530)
  • heterozygous loss at the RLN1 locus is not a genetic factor mediating high population-wide risk for testicular germ cell tumour, but do not exclude a contribution of this aberration in some cases of cancer (PMID:21696394)
  • [review] This study not only clarifies the role of relaxin in sperm, but could also open avenues of research into its use in fertility treatment. (PMID:22180889)
  • relaxin may promote the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of osteosarcoma cells by regulating the expression of MMP-9 and facilitating ECM degradation. (PMID:23661525)
  • Notch signaling can down-regulate TGF-beta1/Smad3-induced fibroblast-myofibroblast transition and that RLX could exert its well known anti-fibrotic action through the up-regulation of this pathway. (PMID:23704950)
  • Recombinant human relaxin (RLX) may provide a novel therapy to manage atrial fibrillation in humans by reversing fibrosis and hypertrophy and by modulating cardiac ionic currents. (PMID:23748429)
  • Relaxin actions in pregnancy include increasing cervical pro-MMP-1 and pro-MMP-3 and decreasing TIMP-1, changes which soften the cervix. (PMID:24640561)
  • For the first time, we bring together the systemic (ovarian) and autocrine/paracrine (intrauterine) sources of RLN, in an attempt to understand how RLN contributes to premature birth in women. (PMID:24640563)
  • Rln enhanced synergistically BMP-2-induced osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. (PMID:24643989)
  • Although serum relaxin level is not a causative factor for benign hypermobility syndrome, the significant increases in patients with hyperkyphosis and pes planus suggest the hypothesis that relaxin has a limited and indefinite role in patients with BJHS. (PMID:25322737)
  • Serum concentrations of relaxin showed a positive association to duration of gestation among women with miscarriage but no association to duration of gestation among women with spontaneous onset of labour. (PMID:26272327)
  • a novel fusion transcript comprising the RLN1 and RLN2 genes, was identified. (PMID:26499396)
  • In a population of acute HF patients, admission relaxin serum levels were associated with clinical and echocardiographic markers of pulmonary hypertension, RV dysfunction, and overload, suggesting a role for circulating relaxin as a biomarker in this setting. (PMID:27488261)
  • down-regulated in cord blood by prenatal smoking (PMID:28130959)
  • The digestive tract has been shown to express relaxin receptors; the hormone appears to exert site-specific effects acting at the neural or at the smooth muscle level, mainly by a nitric oxide-mediated mechanism. (Review) (PMID:28606038)
  • Results indicate that serum relaxin may be a clinically useful indicator for diagnostic and prognostic evaluation in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients. (PMID:29060928)

Cross-species orthologs

2 orthologs

OrganismSymbolGene ID
mus_musculusRln1ENSMUSG00000039097
rattus_norvegicusRln1ENSRNOG00000060867

Paralogs (3): RLN2 (ENSG00000107014), INSL6 (ENSG00000120210), INSL4 (ENSG00000120211)

Protein

Protein identifiers

Prorelaxin H1P04808 (reviewed: P04808)

All UniProt accessions (1): P04808

UniProt curated annotations — full annotation on UniProt →

Function. Relaxin is an ovarian hormone that acts with estrogen to produce dilatation of the birth canal in many mammals. May be involved in remodeling of connective tissues during pregnancy, promoting growth of pubic ligaments and ripening of the cervix.

Subunit / interactions. Heterodimer of a B chain and an A chain linked by two disulfide bonds.

Subcellular location. Secreted.

Tissue specificity. Prostate. Not expressed in placenta, decidua or ovary.

Similarity. Belongs to the insulin family.

Isoforms (2)

UniProt IDNamesCanonical?
P04808-11yes
P04808-22

RefSeq proteins (1): NP_008842* (*=MANE)

Domains & families (InterPro)

IDNameType
IPR016179Insulin-likeDomain
IPR022352Ins/IGF/rlxFamily
IPR022353Insulin_CSConserved_site
IPR022421RelaxinFamily
IPR036438Insulin-like_sfHomologous_superfamily
IPR051042Repro_Hormone_Insulin-likeFamily

Pfam: PF00049

UniProt features (10 total): disulfide bond 3, peptide 2, splice variant 2, signal peptide 1, propeptide 1, sequence variant 1

Structure

Experimental structures (PDB)

0 structures.

Predicted structure (AlphaFold)

ModelpLDDTFraction very-high
AF-P04808-F161.560.22

Functional residue map

Curated UniProt residues grouped by drug-discovery relevance — catalytic, ligand-binding, modification, and mutation-validated positions. Source: UniProtKB sequence features.

Disulfide bonds (3): 35–172, 47–185, 171–176

Function

Pathways and Gene Ontology

Reactome pathways

4 pathways

IDPathway
R-HSA-3371453Regulation of HSF1-mediated heat shock response
R-HSA-3371511HSF1 activation
R-HSA-3371568Attenuation phase
R-HSA-3371571HSF1-dependent transactivation

MSigDB gene sets: 80 (showing top): CCAWYNNGAAR_UNKNOWN, GGGTGGRR_PAX4_03, CHANDRAN_METASTASIS_DN, BLALOCK_ALZHEIMERS_DISEASE_UP, GOBP_MULTI_MULTICELLULAR_ORGANISM_PROCESS, GOMF_SIGNALING_RECEPTOR_BINDING, DANG_BOUND_BY_MYC, BENPORATH_MYC_MAX_TARGETS, GOMF_HORMONE_ACTIVITY, GOMF_SIGNALING_RECEPTOR_REGULATOR_ACTIVITY, NFY_Q6_01, MANALO_HYPOXIA_UP, REACTOME_REGULATION_OF_HSF1_MEDIATED_HEAT_SHOCK_RESPONSE, REACTOME_HSF1_ACTIVATION, REACTOME_CELLULAR_RESPONSE_TO_HEAT_STRESS

GO Biological Process (2): signal transduction (GO:0007165), female pregnancy (GO:0007565)

GO Molecular Function (2): hormone activity (GO:0005179), protein binding (GO:0005515)

GO Cellular Component (1): extracellular region (GO:0005576)

Reactome top-level categories

Rollup of top-2 pathways:

CategoryPathways
Cellular response to heat stress3
HSF1-dependent transactivation1

GO top-level categories

Rollup of top GO terms by namespace:

CategoryTerms
cell communication1
cellular process1
signaling1
regulation of cellular process1
cellular response to stimulus1
multi-organism reproductive process1
multi-multicellular organism process1
receptor ligand activity1
binding1
cellular anatomical structure1

Protein interactions and networks

STRING

354 interactions, top by confidence (×1000):

Protein AProtein BPartner UniProtScore
RLN1RXFP1Q9HBX9990
RLN1INSL3P51460948
RLN1RXFP2Q8WXD0945
RLN1INSL5Q9Y5Q6944
RLN1RLN3Q8WXF3939
RLN1INSL4Q14641925
RLN1RXFP3Q9NSD7882
RLN1RXFP4Q8TDU9821
RLN1INSP01308781
RLN1LGR6Q9HBX8727
RLN1RLFQ13129546
RLN1TEX53A0A1B0GU33541
RLN1MBL2P11226497
RLN1TAC4Q86UU9495
RLN1X6REF7X6REF7490

IntAct

9 interactions, top by confidence:

ABTypeScore
GOLGA6L9RLN1psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
RLN1MID2psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
RLN1RTL8Cpsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.350
RLN1MANBApsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.350
RLN1GOLGA6L9psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
RLN1MID2psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000

BioGRID (91): RLN1 (Two-hybrid), GOLGA6L9 (Two-hybrid), CLN5 (Affinity Capture-MS), NLN (Affinity Capture-MS), TRAPPC1 (Affinity Capture-MS), TRIM32 (Affinity Capture-MS), ITGA4 (Affinity Capture-MS), VWDE (Affinity Capture-MS), GALNT18 (Affinity Capture-MS), LARGE (Affinity Capture-MS), SEMA6A (Affinity Capture-MS), NLGN2 (Affinity Capture-MS), TUBB3 (Affinity Capture-MS), LEPREL2 (Affinity Capture-MS), EDEM1 (Affinity Capture-MS)

ESM2 similar proteins: A5A6J6, O35417, P01172, P01213, P01214, P01347, P01348, P04090, P04808, P05408, P06300, P09681, P12961, P13207, P17640, P19884, P20800, P22389, P22969, P23943, P27682, P33745, P45644, P47932, P48143, P51453, P51454, P51455, P51456, P56943, P69155, P69156, P69157, Q14641, Q1RMJ9, Q32L79, Q5CZK5, Q5CZK6, Q60478, Q64171

Diamond homologs: P01347, P01348, P04090, P04808, P19884, P22969, P47932, P51453, P51454, P51455, P51456, Q64171, Q9MYK8, Q9TRM8, P11184, P11185, Q14641, Q5CZK6, Q7M3C4, Q9Y581, P01349, P11953

SIGNOR signaling

0 interactions.

Disease & clinical

Clinical variants and AI predictions

ClinVar

53 variants total. Per-class counts are floors (≥ shown; pagination cap):

ClassificationCount (floor)
Pathogenic0
Likely pathogenic0
Uncertain significance42
Likely benign5
Benign1

Top pathogenic / likely-pathogenic (0)

SpliceAI

287 predictions. Top by Δscore:

VariantEffectΔscore
9:5339568:T:TAdonor_gain0.9900
9:5335595:TTT:Tacceptor_gain0.9800
9:5335596:TT:Tacceptor_gain0.9800
9:5335598:C:CCacceptor_gain0.9800
9:5336707:A:ACdonor_gain0.9800
9:5339260:A:ACdonor_gain0.9800
9:5339261:C:CCdonor_gain0.9800
9:5339298:T:TAdonor_gain0.9800
9:5339530:TCTCA:Tdonor_loss0.9800
9:5339531:CTCAC:Cdonor_loss0.9800
9:5339532:TCA:Tdonor_loss0.9800
9:5339533:CA:Cdonor_loss0.9800
9:5335593:AATTT:Aacceptor_gain0.9700
9:5335595:TTTC:Tacceptor_loss0.9700
9:5335597:TCTGT:Tacceptor_loss0.9700
9:5335598:C:Aacceptor_loss0.9700
9:5335599:T:Gacceptor_loss0.9700
9:5336708:G:Cdonor_gain0.9700
9:5335594:ATTT:Aacceptor_gain0.9600
9:5339156:T:Adonor_gain0.9600
9:5338658:A:Cdonor_gain0.9500
9:5339255:G:GAdonor_gain0.9400
9:5339538:G:Adonor_gain0.9400
9:5335600:G:Cacceptor_loss0.9300
9:5336707:AGAT:Adonor_gain0.9200
9:5338688:A:ACdonor_gain0.9200
9:5338689:C:CCdonor_gain0.9200
9:5339534:ACCTG:Adonor_gain0.9200
9:5339535:CCTGC:Cdonor_gain0.9200
9:5339576:CAGAG:Cdonor_gain0.9200

AlphaMissense

1208 scored. Top likely-pathogenic:

VariantProtein changeam_pathogenicity
9:5335282:C:GC176S0.929
9:5335283:A:TC176S0.929
9:5335254:G:CC185W0.919
9:5335286:C:AG175C0.917
9:5335283:A:GC176R0.911
9:5335297:C:GC171S0.910
9:5335298:A:TC171S0.910
9:5339607:C:GC47S0.899
9:5339608:A:TC47S0.899
9:5339607:C:TC47Y0.897
9:5335298:A:GC171R0.896
9:5335255:C:TC185Y0.889
9:5339643:C:GC35S0.889
9:5339644:A:TC35S0.889
9:5335255:C:GC185S0.882
9:5335256:A:TC185S0.882
9:5335294:C:GC172S0.881
9:5335295:A:TC172S0.881
9:5335296:A:CC171W0.878
9:5339608:A:GC47R0.872
9:5335282:C:TC176Y0.870
9:5339643:C:TC35Y0.869
9:5335256:A:GC185R0.863
9:5339606:G:CC47W0.856
9:5339625:C:GR41P0.854
9:5335285:C:TG175D0.852
9:5335281:A:CC176W0.851
9:5339626:G:TR41S0.845
9:5339623:C:GA42P0.842
9:5335293:G:CC172W0.839

dbSNP variants (sampled 300 via entrez): RS1000089856 (9:5335792 T>C), RS1000180247 (9:5339401 G>C,T), RS1000233925 (9:5339734 A>C,G), RS1001365463 (9:5341734 G>A), RS1001903790 (9:5337308 G>C), RS1002530568 (9:5334920 C>G,T), RS1002988042 (9:5340803 T>C), RS1002999166 (9:5341020 G>C), RS1003578595 (9:5336245 G>C), RS1003934280 (9:5336061 C>G,T), RS1004669254 (9:5339772 C>G), RS1004675910 (9:5339964 G>A,T), RS1005278566 (9:5342491 G>A,T), RS1005324053 (9:5336290 A>C,G,T), RS1005376529 (9:5336545 T>A,G)

Disease associations

OMIM: gene MIM:179730 | disease phenotypes:

GenCC curated gene-disease

Mondo (0):

Orphanet (0):

HPO phenotypes

0 total (0 of 0 shown, HPO-id order):

GWAS associations

0 associations (top):

Drugs & pharmacology

Drug and pharmacology data

Is drug target: no

PharmGKB: 1 entry (VIP=true, CPIC=false)

CTD chemical–gene interactions

19 total (human), top 19 by PubMed support.

ChemicalActions (top 5)PubMed papers
bisphenol Aincreases methylation, affects cotreatment1
testosterone undecanoateaffects cotreatment, increases expression1
trichostatin Adecreases expression, increases expression1
sodium arsenitedecreases methylation, increases expression1
terbutylazineaffects binding, decreases reaction1
propazineaffects binding, decreases reaction1
entinostatincreases expression1
Fulvestrantaffects cotreatment, increases methylation1
Vorinostatincreases expression1
Atrazineaffects binding, decreases reaction1
Benzo(a)pyrenedecreases methylation1
Calcitrioldecreases expression, affects cotreatment1
Estradiolincreases expression, decreases reaction1
Hydrogen Peroxidedecreases expression1
Silicon Dioxidedecreases expression1
Simazineaffects binding, decreases reaction1
Testosteroneaffects cotreatment, decreases expression1
Tetrachlorodibenzodioxinincreases expression, decreases reaction1
Levonorgestrelaffects cotreatment, increases expression1

Clinical trials (associated diseases)

0 trials via MONDO — disease-level, not drug-specific.

No linked Atlas pages yet — the cross-entity mesh grows as the corpus expands.