RAN and spinocerebellar ataxia type 8: RAN translation is a noncanonical protein synthesis process first described in spinocerebellar ataxia type 8 (SCA8, MIM #608768) and myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1, MIM #160900), in which peptide synthesis is initiated at the site of the expanded repeats in absence of an AUG codon [27] (Figure 1D).