Cntfr - ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor

This gene encodes the alpha subunit of the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) receptor that triggers the assembly of a trimolecular complex upon binding to CNTF, and initiate a downstream signaling process. The encoded preproprotein undergoes proteolytic processing to generate a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked cell surface protein. Mice lacking the encoded protein die shortly after birth and exhibit a reduction of motoneuron number at birth. The transgenic disruption of this gene specifically in the skeletal muscle followed by a peripheral nerve lesion impairs motor neuron axonal regeneration across the lesion site. Alternative splicing of this gene results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Nov 2015]