Dynamic structural flexibility of α-synuclein.

α-Synuclein is a conserved, abundantly expressed protein that is partially localized in pre-synaptic terminals in the central nervous system. The precise biological function(s) and structure of α-synuclein are under investigation. Recently, the native conformation and the presence of naturally occurring multimeric assemblies have come under debate.

RNA-Binding Proteins in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Neurodegeneration.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is an adult onset neurodegenerative disease, which is universally fatal. While the causes of this devastating disease are poorly understood, recent advances have implicated RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that contain predicted prion domains as a major culprit. Specifically, mutations in the RBPs TDP-43 and FUS can cause ALS.