VCP is essential for mitochondrial quality control by PINK1/Parkin and this function is impaired by VCP mutations.

Mutations in VCP cause multisystem degeneration impacting the nervous system, muscle, and/or bone. Patients may present with ALS, Parkinsonism, frontotemporal dementia, myopathy, Paget's disease, or a combination of these. The disease mechanism is unknown.

TDP-43 mediates degeneration in a novel Drosophila model of disease caused by mutations in VCP/p97.

Inclusion body myopathy associated with Paget's disease of bone and frontotemporal dementia (IBMPFD) is a dominantly inherited degenerative disorder caused by mutations in the valosin-containing protein (VCP7) gene. VCP (p97 in mouse, TER94 in Drosophila melanogaster, and CDC48 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is a highly conserved AAA(+) (ATPases associated with multiple cellular activities) ATPase that regulates a wide array of cellular processes. The mechanism of IBMPFD pathogenesis is unknown.

HDAC6 rescues neurodegeneration and provides an essential link between autophagy and the UPS.

A prominent feature of late-onset neurodegenerative diseases is accumulation of misfolded protein in vulnerable neurons. When levels of misfolded protein overwhelm degradative pathways, the result is cellular toxicity and neurodegeneration. Cellular mechanisms for degrading misfolded protein include the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), the main non-lysosomal degradative pathway for ubiquitinated proteins, and autophagy, a lysosome-mediated degradative pathway.

Valosin-containing protein and the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia associated with inclusion body myopathy.

Frontotemporal dementia with inclusion body myopathy and Paget's disease of bone (IBMPFD) is a rare, autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in the gene valosin-containing protein (VCP). The CNS pathology is characterized by a novel pattern of ubiquitin pathology distinct from sporadic and familial frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin-positive inclusions without VCP mutations. Yet, the ubiquitin-positive inclusions in IBMPFD also stain for TAR DNA binding protein, a feature that links this rare disease with the pathology associated with the majority of sporadic FTD as well as disease resulting from different genetic alterations.

Expression of Nrf2 in neurodegenerative diseases.

In response to oxidative stress, the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) transcription factor translocates from the cytoplasm into the nucleus and transactivates expression of genes with antioxidant activity. Despite this cellular mechanism, oxidative damage is abundant in Alzheimer and Parkinson disease (AD and PD). To investigate mechanisms by which Nrf2 activity may be aberrant or insufficient in neurodegenerative conditions, we assessed Nrf2 localization in affected brain regions of AD, Lewy body variant of AD (LBVAD), and PD.