Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) is a member of a sub-family of NTF proteins. The premature form of the protein consists of 187 amino acids while the mature form contains 161 residues. CDNF has a saposin-like N-terminal domain and an unstructured carboxy C-terminal domain with an intradomain cysteine bridge in a CXXC motif. Notably, saposin-like proteins interact with lipids, suggesting that CDNF’s N-terminal may also interact with lipids. The saposin-like domain of CDNF crystalizes as a dimer at pH 4.6. It is presumed that CDNF functions upon synthesis and secretion since it does not contain prosequences for enzymatic activation
