Human GDNF

GDNF (glial Cell Line-derived Neurotrophic Factor) is a neurotrophic factor promoting the survival of various neuronal subpopulations in both the central as well as the peripheral nervous systems at different stages of their development, and it is a disulfide-linked homodimeric glycoprotein, a novel member of the TGF-beta superfamily. There are a variety of cells expressing GDNF including Sertoli cells, type 1 astrocytes, Schwann cells, neurons, pinealocytes and skeletal muscle cells (1).