Increased numbers of autophagosomes can be observed in histological analyses of ALS patient tissue samples in the absence of mutations, and these aggregates are also characterized by the consistent presence of SQSTM1/p62 (p62) protein (encoded by SQSTM1) and ubiquitin as molecular hallmarks of disease (11, 12). The gene discussed is SQSTM1; the disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.