Anti-Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor antibodies are used for the immunodetection of the protein encoded by the BDNF gene. In humans, the canonical protein has a reported length of 247 amino acid residues and a mass of 27.8 kDa. It is known to be a secreted protein. Alternative splicing is reported to yield 5 different isoforms for this protein. It is notably expressed in blood plasma and in saliva. A member of the NGF-beta protein family, it is known to be involved with axon guidance and the regulation of apoptosis. Post-translational modifications have been described, including N-glycosylation, protein cleavage and sulfation. Other names for this target antigen include BULN2, abrineurin, neurotrophin, and ANON2. Gene orthologs have been identified in the mouse, rat, bovine, frog, zebrafish, chimpanzee and chicken species.