Corticotropin-releasing hormone

CRH
Available structures
PDB	Ortholog search: PDBe RCSB
List of PDB id codes
	3EHU, 3EHT, 1GOE
Identifiers
Aliases	CRH, CRF, CRH1, corticotropin releasing hormone
External IDs	OMIM: 122560; MGI: 88496; HomoloGene: 599; GeneCards: CRH; OMA:CRH - orthologs
Gene location (Human)
Chr.	Chromosome 8 (human)
End	66,178,464 bp
Gene location (Mouse)
Chr.	Chromosome 3 (mouse)
End	19,749,560 bp
RNA expression pattern
	Top expressed in
	lateral nuclear group of thalamus; ; placenta; ; Brodmann area 46; ; prefrontal cortex; ; Brodmann area 10; ; frontal pole; ; cingulate gyrus; ; anterior cingulate cortex; ; orbitofrontal cortex; ; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex;
	Top expressed in
	medial vestibular nucleus; ; olfactory tubercle; ; central amygdaloid nucleus; ; paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus; ; lateral hypothalamus; ; medial geniculate nucleus; ; nucleus accumbens; ; dorsal tegmental nucleus; ; piriform cortex; ; prefrontal cortex;
	More reference expression data
	; ;
	More reference expression data
Gene ontology
Molecular function	hormone activity; corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 binding; corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2 binding; protein binding; neuropeptide hormone activity; signaling receptor binding; corticotropin-releasing hormone activity;
Cellular component	cytoplasm; perikaryon; varicosity; extracellular region; soma; extracellular space;
Biological process	response to cocaine; response to immobilization stress; positive regulation of cortisol secretion; steroid metabolic process; positive regulation of protein phosphorylation; negative regulation of luteinizing hormone secretion; positive regulation of cell death; associative learning; ion homeostasis; lung development; diterpenoid metabolic process; response to corticosterone; female pregnancy; negative regulation of norepinephrine secretion; adrenal gland development; synaptic transmission, dopaminergic; negative regulation of cell death; negative regulation of gene expression; cellular response to dexamethasone stimulus; positive regulation of corticosterone secretion; response to estrogen; locomotory exploration behavior; regulation of NMDA receptor activity; regulation of serotonin secretion; positive regulation of calcium ion import; glucocorticoid biosynthetic process; positive regulation of gene expression; positive regulation of digestive system process; birth; response to pain; positive regulation of circadian sleep/wake cycle, wakefulness; positive regulation of cell population proliferation; hypothalamus development; learning or memory; hormone-mediated apoptotic signaling pathway; positive regulation of insulin secretion involved in cellular response to glucose stimulus; response to ethanol; inflammatory response; negative regulation of circadian sleep/wake cycle, REM sleep; response to ether; positive regulation of behavioral fear response; signal transduction; cellular response to cocaine; long-term potentiation; chemical synaptic transmission; negative regulation of epinephrine secretion; negative regulation of glucagon secretion; G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway; negative regulation of systemic arterial blood pressure; positive regulation of cAMP-mediated signaling; positive regulation of corticotropin secretion;
	Sources:Amigo / QuickGO
Orthologs
	1392
	12918
	ENSG00000147571
	ENSMUSG00000049796
	P06850
	Q8CIT0
	NM_000756
	NM_205769
	NP_000747
	NP_991338
	Wikidata
View/Edit Human	View/Edit Mouse

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) (also known as corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) or corticoliberin; corticotropin may also be spelled corticotrophin) is a peptide hormone involved in stress responses. It is a releasing hormone that belongs to corticotropin-releasing factor family. In humans, it is encoded by the CRH gene. Its main function is the stimulation of the pituitary synthesis of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), as part of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis).

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a 41-amino acid peptide derived from a 196-amino acid preprohormone. CRH is secreted by the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus in response to stress. Increased CRH production has been observed to be associated with Alzheimer's disease and major depression, and autosomal recessive hypothalamic corticotropin deficiency has multiple and potentially fatal metabolic consequences including hypoglycemia.

In addition to the hypothalamus, CRH is produced by neurons in other brain regions, including the neocortex, limbic system and brainstem. In the olivocerebellar tract, CRH is expressed in neurons that send their axons from the inferior olivary complex to the cerebellar cortex. CRH is also synthesized in peripheral tissues, such as T lymphocytes, and it is highly expressed in the placenta, where it regulates the length of gestation and the timing of parturition and delivery. A rapid increase in circulating levels of CRH occurs at the onset of parturition, suggesting that, in addition to its metabolic functions, CRH may act as a trigger for parturition.

A recombinant version of CRH for diagnostics is called corticorelin (INN).