Uses
Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor human has been used to study its effect on photoreceptor neuroprotection and Muller glial cell proliferation in zebrafish retina. It has also been used to study the effects of intravitreal injection of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) on photoreceptor injury and BRB (blood-retinal barrier) breakdown in transgenic model.
General Description
The CNTF (ciliary neurotrophic factor) gene encodes a cytokine, and is mapped to human chromosome 11q12.1.
Biochem/physiol Actions
Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) was first identified as a survival factor for neurons from the ciliary ganglion of chicken embryos. Most of its known actions are restricted to cells of the nervous system, including motor neurons, sympathetic ganglion neurons, sensory neurons, hippocampal neurons, and medial septal neurons. CNTF also prevents degeneration of motor axons after axotomy and promotes astrocyte differentiation and oligodendrocyte survival and maturation. Outside the nervous system, CNTF maintains embryonic stem cells in an undifferentiated, pluripotent state. CNTF is structurally related to leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-11 (IL-11) and oncostatin M (OSM). CNTF exerts its actions through the activation of the high-affinity CTNF receptor complex, which contains the ligand-binding α-subunit (CNTF Rα) and two signal transducing β-subunits (LIF Rβ and gp130). The LIF Rβ subunit is also shared by receptors for LIF and OSM. The gp130 subunit is also shared by receptors for LIF, OSM, IL-6, and IL-11. CNTF is localized in the cell nucleus subsequent to receptor binding. Human and rat CNTF share ~83% sequence homology and show cross-reactivity in bioactivity.
Description
Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor Recombinant Human produced in E.Coli is a single, non-glycosylated polypeptide chain containing 199 amino acids and having a molecular mass of 22706 Dalton.
The CNTF is purified by proprietary chromatographic techniques.
Background
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.
CNTF is a survival factor for various neuronal cell types. Seems to prevent the degeneration of motor axons after axotomy.
