Phylogenetic analysis of microRNA biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is an irreversible disease that is caused by the degeneration and death of motor neurons. Approximately 5-10% of cases are familial ALS (fALS), and the other cases are sporadic ALS (sALS). Gene mutations have been identified both in fALS and sALS patients. In this study, we discuss the four ALS-related genes, C9orf72, SOD1, FUS, and TARDBP, and review the microRNAs (miRNAs) that are associated with ALS and other neurological disorders from the literature. A phylogenetic analysis is used to explore potential miRNAs that can be taken into account when studying the difference in pathology for ALS induced by the four genes and other neurological diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, spinal muscular atrophy, and narcolepsy. We found several miRNAs that can be taken into account to study the difference in pathology between ALS and other neurological disorders.