The Role and Therapeutic Potential of the Integrated Stress Response in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 23; no. 14; p. 7823
• Main Authors: Marlin, Elías, Viu-Idocin, Cristina, Arrasate, Montserrat, Aragón, Tomás
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 15.07.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: ALS experimental models; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - drug therapy; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - therapy; Cell Death; Disease; Disease Progression; FDA approval; Gene expression; Genes; Homeostasis; Humans; integrated stress response; Intracellular signalling; Kinases; Motor neurons; Motor Neurons - metabolism; Mutation; Neuroprotection; Pathology; Phosphorylation; Protein synthesis; Proteins; Review; RNA-binding proteins; Signal transduction; Transfer RNA; translation; uORFs-containing mRNAs; United States > US; ALS clinical trials; ALS experimental models; translation; RNA-binding proteins; uORFs-containing mRNAs; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; integrated stress response
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147823

In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, loss of cellular homeostasis within cortical and spinal cord motor neurons triggers the activation of the integrated stress response (ISR), an intracellular signaling pathway that remodels translation and promotes a gene expression program aimed at coping with stress. Beyond its neuroprotective role, under regimes of chronic or excessive stress, ISR can also promote cell/neuronal death. Given the two-edged sword nature of ISR, many experimental attempts have tried to establish the therapeutic potential of ISR enhancement or inhibition in ALS. This review discusses the complex interplay between ISR and disease progression in different models of ALS, as well as the opportunities and limitations of ISR modulation in the hard quest to find an effective therapy for ALS.