TARDBP and neurodegenerative disease: In particular, aggregation of RNA-binding proteins is considered to be one of the major hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases, based on characterization of cellular inclusions containing TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) and Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) in the diseased neurons of patients suffering amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and fronto-temporal lobar dementia (FTLD)3–7.