Figure 3.

Advances in large-scale genomic analysis have uncovered a variety of causative genes and risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These gene variants map onto key pathogenic mechanisms relevant to all motor neuron cellular compartments as well as neighboring cells such as glia and interneurons. In this way, these mechanisms are genetically validated, enabling a greater confidence in their targeting for therapeutic benefit. Some of these mechanisms have emerged only in recent years due to new genetic information, including gene changes highlighting dysregulation of RNA processing and metabolism. There is significant overlap of some genes with those found in closely related disorders such as frontotemporal dementia (for example, C9orf72, CHCHD10, SQSTM1, TBK1, CCNF, FUS, TARDBP, OPTN, UBQLN2, TUBA4A, ATAXN2, VCP, and CHMP2B). This suggests a closer relationship with broader neurodegenerative disorders, and indeed many of the pathways depicted are relevant in, for example, Alzheimer’s disease. ER, endoplasmic reticulum. Created with BioRender.com.