Prion-like Protein TDP-43: Mechanisms, Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Prospects

Abstract

TDP-43 proteinopathies, encompassing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE), represent a heterogeneous spectrum of devastating neurodegenerative disorders. For decades, the diverse clinical presentations of these diseases have complicated antemortem diagnosis and hindered the development of disease-modifying therapies. However, recent breakthroughs in basic science are beginning to address these clinical barriers, although substantial hurdles to practical clinical application remain. Structural elucidation via cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) has shattered the single-protein amyloid dogma by revealing that TDP-43 can form hetero-amyloid filaments with ANXA11, thereby providing a molecular basis for pathological strain diversity. Concurrently, the pathogenic focus has shifted toward nuclear loss of function, which triggers a systemic “RNA crisis” characterized by aberrant alternative polyadenylation (APA) and cryptic exon inclusion (e.g., STMN2, UNC13A). Crucially, this metabolic collapse is profoundly exacerbated by patient-specific genetic risk factors, acting synergistically in a “two-hit” model of neurodegeneration. To translate these findings to the clinic, next-generation diagnostic tools are emerging. Integrating neuron-derived extracellular vesicle (EV) isolation with Seed Amplification Assays (SAAs) holds promise to help overcome the structural camouflage that limits current PET imaging, potentially offering ultra-sensitive, functional strain identification in biofluids. While these structural and diagnostic milestones provide a strong foundation for precision medicine, major challenges in assay standardization and clinical validation must be addressed. Advanced therapeutic strategies—namely, splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that directly restore RNA metabolism, combined with the targeted suppression of neuronal hyperexcitability—are now entering clinical trials. This review synthesizes how decoding the structural and RNA-metabolic complexities of TDP-43 is paving a promising pathway from bench to bedside, while critically discussing current translational limitations.