CNTF

CNTF is a polypeptide hormone whose actions appear to be restricted to the nervous system where it promotes neurotransmitter synthesis and neurite outgrowth in certain neuronal populations. The protein is a potent survival factor for neurons and oligodendrocytes and may be relevant in reducing tissue destruction during inflammatory attacks. A mutation in this gene, which results in aberrant splicing, leads to ciliary neurotrophic factor deficiency, but this phenotype is not causally related to neurologic disease. In addition to the predominant monocistronic transcript originating from this locus, the gene is also co-transcribed with the upstream ZFP91 gene. Co-transcription from the two loci results in a transcript that contains a complete coding region for the zinc finger protein but lacks a complete coding region for ciliary neurotrophic factor.

References:

1. Ciliary neurotrophic factor is not required for terminal sprouting and compensatory reinnervation of neuromuscular synapses: re-evaluation of CNTF null mice. Exp Neurol 2007 Jun;205(2):437-48
2. Use of suppression subtractive hybridization to identify genes regulated by ciliary neurotrophic factor in postnatal retinal explants. Mol Vis 2007 Feb 7;13:206-19
3. Molecular and cellular alterations induced by sustained expression of ciliary neurotrophic factor in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2007 Mar;48(3):1389-400
4. Intravitreal injection of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) causes peripheral remodeling and does not prevent photoreceptor loss in canine RPGR mutant retina. Exp Eye Res 2007 Apr;84(4):753-71
5. Activation of GABA(A) receptors facilitates astroglial differentiation induced by ciliary neurotrophic factor in neural progenitors isolated from fetal rat brain. J Neurochem 2007 Mar;100(6):1667-79
6. Regulation of rod phototransduction machinery by ciliary neurotrophic factor. J Neurosci 2006 Dec 27;26(52):13523-30