Molecular Pathology of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 2539

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, 67-368 NPI, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Interests: Alzheimer's disease; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; immunotherapy; Omega-3 fatty acids; macrophage transcriptome; macrophage glycome

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a chronic, progressive, degenerative neurological disease affecting motor neurons. Sporadic ALS, which is the most common form of ALS, develops symptoms in early or mid-life, eventually hindering the ability to move, eat, or breathe independently. About 5–10% of ALS cases are genetically inherited (familial ALS), while 90–95% of the cases develop “sporadic” ALS (sALS) in people with no prior family history. Existing evidence supports the conclusion that people who have served in the military are at a greater risk of developing ALS and dying from the disease than those with no history of military service. The recognition of autoimmunity with IL-17 in the blood and spinal fluid is important for diagnosis and therapy. The cause of familial ALS is attributed to the mutations in the senataxin (SETX) gene, TAR DNA Binding Protein 43 kDa (TDP-43), and in the FUS gene on chromosome 16. The sporadic ALS pathogenesis includes autoimmunity, inflammation, and activation of the cGAS/STING pathway. Ultimately, the therapy for sporadic ALS refers to inhibitors of cGAS/STING pathway; inhibitors of NfkappaB, dimethylfumarate; and the inhibitor of PD1.

Dr. Milan Fiala
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • familial ALS
  • SETX
  • TDP43
  • FUS
  • sporadic ALS
  • trauma
  • extranuclear DNA
  • autoimmunity
  • inflammation
  • cGAS/STING pathway
  • NikappB
  • PD1/PDL1
  • dimethylfumarate

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

14 pages, 614 KiB  
Review
Therapeutics Targeting Skeletal Muscle in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
by Jinghui Gao, Elijah Sterling, Rachel Hankin, Aria Sikal and Yao Yao
Biomolecules 2024, 14(7), 878; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14070878 - 22 Jul 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2188
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complex neuromuscular disease characterized by progressive motor neuron degeneration, neuromuscular junction dismantling, and muscle wasting. The pathological and therapeutic studies of ALS have long been neurocentric. However, recent insights have highlighted the significance of peripheral tissue, particularly [...] Read more.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complex neuromuscular disease characterized by progressive motor neuron degeneration, neuromuscular junction dismantling, and muscle wasting. The pathological and therapeutic studies of ALS have long been neurocentric. However, recent insights have highlighted the significance of peripheral tissue, particularly skeletal muscle, in disease pathology and treatment. This is evidenced by restricted ALS-like muscle atrophy, which can retrogradely induce neuromuscular junction and motor neuron degeneration. Moreover, therapeutics targeting skeletal muscles can effectively decelerate disease progression by modulating muscle satellite cells for muscle repair, suppressing inflammation, and promoting the recovery or regeneration of the neuromuscular junction. This review summarizes and discusses therapeutic strategies targeting skeletal muscles for ALS treatment. It aims to provide a comprehensive reference for the development of novel therapeutics targeting skeletal muscles, potentially ameliorating the progression of ALS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Pathology of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
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