Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurological disease with no effective treatment. Here we report the
results of a moderate-scale sequencing study aimed at identifying new genes contributing to predisposition for ALS. We performed
whole exome sequencing of 2,874 ALS patients and compared them to 6,405 controls. Several known ALS genes were found to be
associated, and the non-canonical IκB kinase family TANK-Binding Kinase 1 (TBK1) was identified as an ALS gene. TBK1 is known to bind to and phosphorylate a number of proteins involved in innate immunity
and autophagy, including optineurin (OPTN) and p62 (SQSTM1/sequestosome), both of which have also been implicated in ALS.
These observations reveal a key role of the autophagic pathway in ALS and suggest specific targets for therapeutic intervention.
e' un successo anche italiano.
anche se purtroppo le italiche secchiate sono finite altrove.
