NTF3 (neurotrophin-3) is a nerve growth factor family member that functions primarily as a promoter of neuronal survival and development. During early neurogenesis, NTF3 acts as a key mediator of neuronal differentiation through transcriptional regulation by POU3F2, which directly binds the NTF3 promoter 1. NTF3 mediates its effects through receptor binding and activation of critical signaling cascades, including PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways, which regulate neuronal cell viability, migration, and apoptotic resistance 2. Beyond the nervous system, NTF3 exhibits tumor-suppressive functions in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), where low expression correlates with shortened overall and disease-free survival 3. In HCC, NTF3 promotes apoptosis through p75NTR receptor binding and JNK/p38 MAPK pathway activation 4. Similarly, in cervical cancer, NTF3 functions as a direct target of miR-21, and its overexpression inhibits cell proliferation and migration while promoting apoptosis via PI3K-AKT and MAPK signaling 5. A regulatory long non-coding RNA, lnc-NTF3-5, modulates osteogenic differentiation and islet β-cell function through miRNA sponging mechanisms 6, 7. These findings establish NTF3 as a multi-functional growth factor with context-dependent roles in neuronal development and cancer suppression.