This gene encodes one of the major intermediate filament proteins of mature astrocytes. It is used as a marker to distinguish astrocytes from other glial cells during development. Mutations in this gene cause Alexander disease, a rare disorder of astrocytes in the central nervous system. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2008],ALXDRD,GFAP,Cell Adhesion,Cell Biology & Developmental Biology,Cell Type Marker,Cell Type Marker_Astrocyte marker,Cell Type Marker_Microglia marker,Cytoskeleton,Cytoskeleton_Intermediate Filaments,Neural Stem Cells,Neuroscience,Signal Transduction,Stem Cells,GFAP