Zhang et al. show that the poly(GA) proteins produced in patients with C9ORF72 repeat expansions cause neurodegeneration and behavioral abnormalities when expressed in mice. The emergence of these phenotypes requires poly(GA) aggregation, and poly(GA) inclusions sequester HR23 proteins involved in proteasomal degradation, as well as proteins involved in nucleocytoplasmic transport.
- Yong-Jie Zhang
- Tania F Gendron
- Leonard Petrucelli