Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2: A Review and Personal Perspective

Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are dominantly inherited diseases that lead to neurodegeneration in the cerebellum and other parts of the nervous system. This review examines the progress that has been made in SCA2 from its initial clinical description to discovery of DNA CAG-repeat expansions in the ATXN2 gene. ATXN2 repeat alleles cover the range from recessive and dominant mendelian alleles to risk alleles for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We review studies aimed at defining the normal function of ATXN2 and mutant ATXN2 using cellular and mouse models. Progress in testing small compounds and antisense oligonucleotides in preclinical studies is described as well including our recent focus on staufen-1 (STAU1) and mRNA metabolism and control of autophagy.