Considering the mechanism by which droplets of ALS-FTD-associated SQSTM1/p62 mutants cause pathology

Large numbers of point mutations in SQSTM1/p62 have been identified in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal degeneration (FTD). SQSTM1 interacts with ubiquitinated proteins, undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation, and the resulting SQSTM1-droplets are degraded by macroautophagy/autophagy. SQSTM1 also serves as a multiple signaling hub for processes including selective autophagy and the anti-oxidative stress response. Such diverse functions are modulated by multiple domains and regions throughout the protein. Because mutations in SQSTM1 have been identified throughout its gene, including regions encoding the domains and motifs, the effects of these mutations on disease onset have been thought to be complicated. Recently, we thoroughly investigated how 7 mutations around the LC3-interacting region and KEAP1-interacting region (amino acids 335-356) affected autophagic degradation of SQSTM1, the anti-oxidative stress response, the KEAP1-NFE2L2/Nrf2 pathway, and the dynamics of SQSTM1 droplets. We found that reduced inner fluidity of the droplets is a unique, shared defect among all mutants, suggesting a link between qualitative changes in SQSTM1 liquid droplets and ALS-FTD. In this punctum article, we discuss the mechanism whereby reduced inner fluidity of mutant SQSTM1 droplets causes ALS-FTD pathology.