SQSTM1 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: For instance, increased levels of LC3, beclin 1, p62, and the Atg5-Atg12 complex, which are mediators involved in the early stages of the macroautophagy process, have been detected in spinal motor neurons of both sporadic and familial ALS that later extend to other cells such as astrocytes and microglia (Amin et al., 2020).