Taken together with additional observations that the Atx2-cIDR is also required for the aggregation of FUS protein and C9-associated dipeptide repeats in cell culture, these results support a model in which RNP granules, perhaps by concentrating aggregation-prone proteins within membrane-less organelles, enhance the efficiency with which initial pathogenic aggregates associated with ALS/FTS can be nucleated (Becker and Gitler 2018). The gene discussed is ATXN2; the disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.