Using this approach, the Bellen lab identified several fly mutants in which the human homologs have been implicated by other studies to play a role in various neurodegenerative diseases, including Leigh syndrome (C8orf38/sicily) (Zhang et al., 2013b), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A (MFN2/Marf) (Sandoval et al., 2014) and autosomal recessive spastic ataxia with leukoencephalopathy (MARS2/Aats-met) (Bayat et al., 2012). The gene discussed is MFN2; the disease is Leigh syndrome.