The amount of protein encoded by these genes in fibroblasts from patients with ALS relative to that in fibroblasts from normal subjects as determined by western blotting was as follows: TOLLIP (2.55-fold, p<0.001), MAPK9 (1.45-fold, p<0.001), IL-1β (1.57-fold, p = 0.004), IL-8 (2.40-fold, p<0.001), and CXCL1 (2.33-fold, p<0.001) (Fig 3B and 3C). This evidence concerns the gene MAPK9 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.