Human ciliary neurotrophic factor: localization to the proximal region of the long arm of chromosome 11 and association with CA/GT dinucleotide repeat.

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) promotes survival and differentiation of several types of sensory, motor, sympathetic, and parasympathetic neurons. We have used the polymerase chain reaction to amplify, clone, and partially sequence CNTF cDNA from human muscle. Using a rodent-human mapping panel and fluorescence in situ hybridization, we have localized a single copy of the gene for human CNTF to the proximal long arm of chromosome 11. We have also identified a polymorphic tandem CA/GT dinucleotide repeat associated with the human CNTF gene.