Neurofilaments are type IV intermediate filament heteropolymers composed of light, medium, and heavy chains. Neurofilaments comprise the axoskeleton and they functionally maintain the neuronal caliber. They may also play a role in intracellular transport to axons and dendrites. This gene encodes the light chain neurofilament protein. Mutations in this gene cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease types 1F (CMT1F) and 2E (CMT2E), disorders of the peripheral nervous system that are characterized by distinct neuropathies. A pseudogene has been identified on chromosome Y. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2008]
Forensic Context
A study in humans profiling the corpus cavernosum identified the NEFL as a gene marker specifically expressed in the fibroblast subcluster FB4, indicating a high correlation with neurons and defining its spatial localization [Zhao et al. DOI:10.1038/s41467-022-31950-9]. A separate review of human multi-omics studies for biological age estimation reported that the NEFL is positively associated with aging in whole blood samples from a cohort of healthy people [Solovev et al. DOI:10.1016/j.mad.2019.111192]. A study in rats demonstrated that the NEFL, a neuronal cytoskeletal protein, was part of a cluster of genes whose expression was inversely correlated with injury severity following contusive spinal cord injury [De Biase et al. DOI:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00081.2005].