ALS Study Reveals Two Genes Associated with High Risk for Disease

Genetic mutations in two previously unrecognized genes, the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) and BNIP1 genes, are associated with elevated risk for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). As seen in other neurodegenerative diseases, abnormal accumulation of toxic proteins seems to play a role in ALS onset and progression. Different mutations in tau protein previously were associated with other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. However, the specific mutation identified in this study was associated only with ALS, and not with the other diseases included in the study. Genetic mutations that modestly elevate risk for ALS were identified with more than two dozen different genes.
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