Rethinking ALS: The FUS about TDP-43

Mutations in TDP-43, a DNA/RNA-binding protein, cause an inherited form of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Two recent studies (Kwiatkowski et al., 2009 and Vance et al., 2009) now report that mutations in FUS/TLS, another DNA/RNA-binding protein, also trigger premature degeneration of motor neurons. TDP-43 and FUS/TLS have striking structural and functional similarities, implicating alterations in RNA processing as a key event in ALS pathogenesis.