TARDBP and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: TDP-43 (43-kD transactive response DNA-binding protein), encoded by the TARDBP gene, is a DNA-/RNA-binding protein that is usually localized to the nucleus [1, 2] and plays an important role in several diseases of the nervous system, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) [3, 4].