[HIGHLIGHTS] The accumulation of 'junk proteins', cause of aging and possible origin of ALS

The accumulation of 'junk proteins', cause of aging and possible origin of ALS. Most hereditary ALS patients share mutations in a gene called C9ORF72.

This mutation results in the production of toxic proteins - or peptides - rich in the amino acid arginine. Nucleolar stress is the cellular component where ribosomes are synthesized. In recent decades it has been observed that it has one of its functions to detect situations in the cell, such as DNA or lack of nutrients.