This month: FUS
So, what’s all the FUS about?
That is a dreadful pun. I’ll ignore it. FUS is a DNA/RNA-binding protein that is involved in DNA repair and the regulation of transcription, splicing, RNA transport, and local translation.
Has it been in the news?
Yes, it has – a new study suggests a previously overlooked role of the FUS in the pathology of motor neurone disease (inherited and non-inherited) and pinpoints the protein as a possible target for future therapies.
Is it a game changer?
Not quite. Giulia Tyzack, the joint first author of the paper, stresses that it is “unlikely to be a silver bullet”. But adds that the discovery brings us another step closer to understanding the complex molecular biology of motor neurone disease, which “will be vital in the search for a treatment in the years to come”.
What did we previously know about FUS and motor neurone disease?
The link between the FUS protein and inherited forms of motor neurone disease is well established. In these cases, the FUS protein moves out of the nucleus of motor neurons and forms disruptive clumps inside the cell.
And for non-inherited forms?
No FUS clumps had been detected in non-inherited forms of the disease, leading to the assumption that FUS is only relevant in patients who carry the FUS mutation.
And what did the latest research reveal?
Just because FUS isn’t forming clumps, doesn’t mean that it isn’t causing disruption in non-inherited forms of the disease... the scientists found widespread FUS displacement, suggesting the protein moves from the nucleus
in the disease state.
What are the implications?
By demonstrating the role FUS plays in both forms of motor neuron disease, the researchers have given drug developers another potential target to investigate.