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Alsin and the Molecular Pathways of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

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Abstract

Autosomal recessive mutations in the ALS2 gene lead to a clinical spectrum of motor dysfunction including juvenile onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS2), primary lateral sclerosis, and hereditary spastic paraplegia. The 184-kDa alsin protein, encoded by the full-length ALS2 gene, contains three different guanine-nucleotide-exchange factor-like domains, which may play a role in the etiology of the disease. Multiple in vitro biochemical and cell biology assays suggest that alsin dysfunction affects endosome trafficking through a Rab5 small GTPase family-mediated mechanism. Four ALS2-deficient mouse models have been generated by different groups and used to study the behavioral and pathological impact of alsin deficiency. These mouse models largely fail to recapitulate hallmarks of motor neuron disease, but the subtle deficits that are observed in behavior and pathology have aided in our understanding of the relationship between alsin and motor dysfunction. In this review, we summarize recent clinical and molecular reports regarding alsin and attempt to place these results within the larger context of motor neuron disease.

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Acknowledgements

The Intramural Research Programs of the National Institute on Aging provides support for this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Transgenesis, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Building 35, Room 1A116, MSC 3707, 35 Convent Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892-3707, USA

    Jayanth Chandran, Jinhui Ding & Huaibin Cai

  2. Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA

    Jayanth Chandran

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  1. Jayanth Chandran
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Correspondence to Huaibin Cai.

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Chandran, J., Ding, J. & Cai, H. Alsin and the Molecular Pathways of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Mol Neurobiol 36, 224–231 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-007-0034-x

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