CNTF (Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor) is a Protein Coding gene. Diseases associated with CNTF include Motor Neuron Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 19. Among its related pathways are Innate Immune System and Neural Stem Cell Differentiation Pathways and Lineage-specific Markers. GO annotations related to this gene include growth factor activity and ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor binding.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.