GHRF encoded by this gene belongs to the glucagon family and is a preproprotein that is produced in the hypothalamus. The preproprotein is cleaved to form a 44 aa factor, also called somatocrinin, that acts to stimulate growth hormone release from the pituitary. Variant receptors for somatocrinin have been found in several types of tumors, and antagonists of these receptors can inhibit the growth of the tumors. Defects in this gene are a cause of dwarfism, while hypersecretion of the encoded protein is a cause of gigantism.
