Another angiogenic gene linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A new study by Greenway and colleagues links mutations in the angiogenin gene to patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – a progressive and fatal motoneuron disease. This is an unexpected finding because angiogenin was originally identified as a molecule involved in the formation of blood vessels (angiogenesis). Angiogenin bears striking similarity to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is the prototypic angiogenic factor that has recently emerged as a molecule with important neuroprotective activities. Besides VEGF, angiogenin is the second so-called angiogenic factor implicated in ALS, raising the question of whether additional angiogenic factors might have a role in ALS. Overall, these findings identify angiogenin as a novel candidate gene in the pathogenesis of ALS – a discovery that ultimately might lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies.