EN
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) has often
been associated with improper/altered metal metabolism.
Analysis of thiophylic metals in serum from a small and
geographically restricted cohort of ALS patients indicates
contents of Pb and Ni much higher in patients than in
controls (Ni, 5-fold; Pb, 2-fold). Se levels are also higher in
the patients’ group, which has instead lower As levels than
controls. Thiophylic metals may impair biogenesis of FeS
clusters or substitute for iron, even in folded proteins; Se
may non-functionally replace S. Thus, improper assembly/
function of FeS proteins could represent another possible
issue to be considered in ALS pathogenesis.