Human glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) maps to chromosome 5

Abstract
Neurotrophic factors are essential neurone survival promoting molecules that are often secreted and that bind to neuronal cell surface receptors. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, GDNF, is a potent neurotrophic factor that promotes the survival of dopaminergic neurones in cultures including embryonic neuronal cultures. We have mapped the gene encoding GDNF by two independent methods: using a cell hybrid panel and by fluorescent in situ hybridisation. We find GDNF lies on the short arm of human chromosome 5, at 5p13.1-p13.3