TARDBP and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Furthermore, a recent study in a Drosophila model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has shown that siRNA-mediated silencing effects were compromised, and that the expression levels of endo-siRNAs and their corresponding retrotransposons were altered upon ectopic expression of human TDP-43, the ALS-causing protein [88].