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Updated: Jul 23, 2025

Measuring RAN Peptide Toxicity in C. elegans
Published on: April 30, 2020
FUS regulates RAN translation through modulating the G-quadruplex structure of GGGGCC repeat RNA in C9orf72-linked
Yuzo Fujino1,2, Morio Ueyama1,3,4, Taro Ishiguro4,5
1Department of Neurology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka-Sayama, Japan.
Abstract:
Abnormal expansions of GGGGCC repeat sequence in the noncoding region of the C9orf72 gene is the most common cause of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (C9-ALS/FTD). The expanded repeat sequence is translated into dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs) by noncanonical repeat-associated non-AUG (RAN) translation. Since DPRs play central roles in the pathogenesis of C9-ALS/FTD, we here investigate the regulatory mechanisms of RAN translation, focusing on the effects of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) targeting GGGGCC repeat RNAs. Using C9-ALS/FTD model flies, we demonstrated that the ALS/FTD-linked RBP FUS suppresses RAN translation and neurodegeneration in an RNA-binding activity-dependent manner. Moreover, we found that FUS directly binds to and modulates the G-quadruplex structure of GGGGCC repeat RNA as an RNA chaperone, resulting in the suppression of RAN translation in vitro. These results reveal a previously unrecognized regulatory mechanism of RAN translation by G-quadruplex-targeting RBPs, providing therapeutic insights for C9-ALS/FTD and other repeat expansion diseases.
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