VCP and neurodegenerative disease: VCP has been identified as an apoptosis regulator in other mammalian cells and in yeast26, 27, 28, Recent studies have identified that loss of VCP activity due to mutations is linked to cell death in different human diseases, including a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Pakinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis26, 29, 30.