Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are two devastating neurodegenerative diseases. Several lines of evidence suggest that these diseases are part of a continuum with common genetic factors. As researchers uncover more genes associated with ALS/FTLD, studies have shown that majority of these genes regulate lysosome‐related processes. Lysosomes play important roles in clearing damaged organelles and proteins through the autophagy‐lysosome pathway and clearing extracellular debris by the endolysosomal pathway. Disruption of both the autophagy and endolysosomal pathways has been implicated in ALS/FTLD pathogenesis.
Part of the book: Lysosomes