CNTF, Official Symbol CNTFprovided by HGNC Official Full Name ciliary neurotrophic factorprovided by HGNC Primary source HGNC:HGNC:2169 See related Ensembl:ENSG00000242689 MIM:118945; AllianceGenome:HGNC:2169 Gene type protein coding RefSeq status REVIEWED Organism Homo sapiens Lineage Eukaryota; Metazoa; Chordata; Craniata; Vertebrata; Euteleostomi; Mammalia; Eutheria; Euarchontoglires; Primates; Haplorrhini; Catarrhini; Hominidae; Homo Also known as HCNTF Summary The protein encoded by this gene 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. A read-through transcript variant composed of the upstream ZFP91 gene and CNTF sequence has been identified, but it is thought to be non-coding. Read-through transcription of ZFP91 and CNTF has also been observed in mouse. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2010] Expression Broad expression in bone marrow (RPKM 2.5), testis (RPKM 0.8) and 20 other tissues See more Orthologs mouse all