CYP2R1 is cytochrome P450 2R1, an enzyme which is the principal vitamin D 25-hydroxylase. In humans it is encoded by the CYP2R1 gene located on chromosome 11p15.2. It is expressed in the endoplasmic reticulum in liver, where it performs the first step in the activation of vitamin D by catalyzing the formation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Vitamin D 25-hydroxylase activity is also possessed by some other cytochrome P450 enzymes, in particular CYP27A1, which is found in mitochondria.