Endothelin 2, also known as ET-2, is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 that in humans is encoded by the EDN2 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

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Function

Endothelin 2 is a member of the endothelin

Endothelin

Endothelins are proteins that constrict blood vessels and raise blood pressure. They are normally kept in balance by other mechanisms, but when they are over-expressed, they contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease....

 protein family of secretory vasoconstrictive peptides. The preproprotein is processed to a short mature form which functions as a ligand for the endothelin receptor

Endothelin receptor

There are at least three known endothelin receptors, ETA, ETB1 and ETB2, all of which are G protein-coupled receptors whose activation result in elevation of intracellular-free calcium.-Clinical significance:...

s that initiate intracellular signaling events. This gene product is involved in a wide range of biological processes, such as hypertension

Hypertension

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...

 and ovulation

Ovulation

Ovulation is the process in a female's menstrual cycle by which a mature ovarian follicle ruptures and discharges an ovum . Ovulation also occurs in the estrous cycle of other female mammals, which differs in many fundamental ways from the menstrual cycle...

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