Disruption of the paternal necdin gene diminishes TrkA signaling for sensory neuron survival.

Necdin is a multifunctional signaling protein that stabilizes terminal differentiation of postmitotic neurons. The human necdin gene in chromosome 15q11-q12 is maternally imprinted, paternally transcribed, and not expressed in Prader-Willi syndrome, a human genomic imprinting-associated neurodevelopmental disorder. Although necdin-deficient mice display several abnormal phenotypes reminiscent of this syndrome, little is known about molecular mechanisms that lead to the neurodevelopmental defects.