Tags: Protein.
Ciliary neurotrophic factor is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CNTF gene.The protein encoded by this gene is a polypeptide hormone and nerve growth factor whose actions have mainly been studied in the nervous system where it promotes neurotransmitter synthesis and neurite outgrowth in certain neural populations including astrocytes. The protein is a potent survival factor for neurons and oligodendrocytes and may be relevant in reducing tissue destruction during inflammatory attacks.