Contactin-4 is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 that in humans is encoded by the CNTN4 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

.

Genomics

The gene is located on the short arm of chromosome 3 (3p26.3). It is a single copy gene within the Watson (plus) strand, 957,399 bases in length and encodes a protein of 1026 amino acids (molecular weight 113.454 kDa)

Clinical relevance

Abnormal expression of this gene has been implicated in some cases of autism

Autism

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...

. It has also been associated with cerebellar degeneration in spinocerebellar ataxia

Spinocerebellar ataxia

Spinocerebellar ataxia is a progressive, degenerative, genetic disease with multiple types, each of which could be considered a disease in its own right.-Classification:...

type 16.

Further reading