FUS

protein-coding

FUS RNA binding protein, the group of Zinc fingers RANBP2-type |RNA binding motif containing|Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins

Gene summary

This gene encodes a multifunctional protein component of the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) complex. The hnRNP complex is involved in pre-mRNA splicing and the export of fully processed mRNA to the cytoplasm. This protein belongs to the FET family of RNA-binding proteins which have been implicated in cellular processes that include regulation of gene expression, maintenance of genomic integrity and mRNA/microRNA processing. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. Defects in this gene result in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis type 6. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2009]

Previous symbols:
  • ALS6

MANE transcript

NM_004960.4

Inheritance

AD, AR

ClinVar variants

P:57U:210B:124

Top phenotype

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 6, with or without frontotemporal dementia; Tremor, hereditary essential, 4

gnomAD constraint

pLI —, LoF o/e 0.1

Max pathogenic AF

—

Genomic locus

chr16:31,180,138-31,196,963

External References & Databases

Transcript & Mutation Effects

hg38 • Region Span ~16.8 kb
Loading mutation effect viewer...

GenCC Phenotypes & Disease Associations

Curated gene-disease validity assertions and inheritance patterns

amyotrophic lateral sclerosisSUPPORTIVE

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0004976

Submitter: Orphanet

juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosisSUPPORTIVE

Inheritance Pattern: AR

Disease ID:MONDO:0017593

Submitter: Orphanet

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis type 6STRONG

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0011951

Submitter: Genomics England PanelApp

amyotrophic lateral sclerosisDEFINITIVE

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0004976

Submitter: Illumina

The FUS gene is located on chromosome 16 at 16p11.2 and encodes the FUS RNA binding protein which is predominantly located in the nucleus and involved in the regulation of many cellular processes, including RNA metabolism, regulation of translation, and stress response. The FUS gene was first reported in relation to autosomal dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with or without frontotemporal dementia in 2009 (19251627: Kwaitkowski et al. 2009); 19251628: Vance et al. 2009). At least 18 unique missense, stop gained and frameshift variants have been reported in ClinVar. Evidence supporting this gene-disease relationship includes case-level data, segregation data and experimental data. Variants in this gene have been reported in at least ten probands in six publications (19251628: Vance et al. 2009; 20668259: Yan et al. 2010; 20660363: Waibel et al. 2010; 24439481; Calvo et al. 2014; 25457557: Kim et al. 2015; 26362943; Hubers et al. 2015). Vance et al. (2009) reported segregation of disease with a FUS variant in six affected family members. More evidence is available in the literature, but the maximum score for genetic evidence (12 pts.) has been reached. This gene-disease association is supported by studies in patient derived cell lines and at least two transgenic mouse models which recapitulate key features of disease (23867462: Shelkobnikova et al. 2013; 26795035: Lim et al. 2016; 30344044: Lopez Erauskin 2018). In summary, FUS is definitively associated with autosomal dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with or without frontotemporal dementia. This has been repeatedly demonstrated in both the research and clinical diagnostic settings, and has been upheld over time.

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis type 6STRONG

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0011951

Submitter: Labcorp Genetics (formerly Invitae)

tremor, hereditary essential, 4LIMITED

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0013888

Submitter: Ambry Genetics

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis type 6DEFINITIVE

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0011951

Submitter: ClinGen

FUS was first reported in relation to autosomal dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 6 (ALS) in 2009 (Kwiatkowski TJ, et al., 2009, PMID: 19251627 and Vance C, et al., 2009, PMID: 19251628). ALS is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting upper motor neurons in the brain and lower motor neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord, resulting in fatal paralysis. FUS encodes a nucleoprotein that functions in DNA and RNA metabolism, including DNA repair, and the regulation of transcription, RNA splicing, and export to the cytoplasm. It’s proposed that the FALS-associated FUS mutations alter the liquid-solid phase transition in FUS and thereby dominantly interfere with the ability of wild type FUS in DNA damage repair and RNA splicing, leading to both structural and functional defects in dendritic/axonal growth and synaptic transmission (PMID: 27033831). Evidence supporting this gene-disease relationship includes case-level data and experimental data. More than 50 mutations in FUS have been associated with ALS, the majority of which are dominant, missense changes clustered in and around the C-terminal nuclear localization signal, as well as some nonsense, splicing, and frameshift variants (reviewed in PMID: 27033831). This curation includes 26 variants in this gene that have been reported in 26 probands in 7 publications (PMIDs: 19251627, 19251628, 19741215, 20232451, 26362943, 22057404, and 20668259). Experimentally, this gene-disease relationship is supported the alterations observed in cells expressing FUS variants, showing mislocalization to the cytoplasm and association with stress granules (PMID: 23474818) as well as decreased DNA repair (PMID: 24036913). Further support is provided by several animal models (at least 6 transgenic strains, reviewed in PMID: 27033831) including mouse (PMID: 26842965) and rat models (PMID: 21408206), which recapitulate features of ALS. In summary FUS is definitively associated with autosomal dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 6. This has been repeatedly demonstrated in both the research and clinical diagnostic settings, and has been upheld over time. This classification was approved by the ClinGen ALS GCEP on 10/12/2021 (SOPv8). Of note, FUS has also been reported in relation to autosomal dominant hereditary essential tremor 4. This will be curated separately from ALS per criteria outlined by the ClinGen Lumping and Splitting working group; there is a difference in molecular mechanism (gain of toxicity vs loss of function) and phenotype.

tremor, hereditary essential, 4LIMITED

Inheritance Pattern: Unknown

Disease ID:MONDO:0013888

Submitter: Labcorp Genetics (formerly Invitae)

Clinical Genomic Database (CGD)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 6, with or without frontotemporal dementia; Tremor, hereditary essential, 4AD/AR

Manifestation: Neurologic

Intervention: General

Rationale: Genetic knowledge may be beneficial related to issues such as selection of optimal supportive care, informed medical decision-making, prognostic considerations, and avoidance of unnecessary testing

Refs: 12840784; 12858291; 19741216; 19251627; 19741215; 19251628; 19861302; 20385912; 20577002; 20660363; 20668259; 22863194; 22980027; 22999566; 23046859Source: CGD (NHGRI)

ClinVar Associated Diseases & Phenotypes

Reported disease conditions connected to FUS variants in ClinVar

14 Conditions Cataloged
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis type 6Total: 352
Tremor, hereditary essential, 4Total: 330
not providedTotal: 161
Inborn genetic diseasesTotal: 134
FUS-related disorderTotal: 105
not specifiedTotal: 42
Juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosisTotal: 2
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosisTotal: 2

ClinVar Variants & Pathogenicity by Type

Statistics based on transcript NM_004960.4. Only rare variants are included.

We include only reliable ClinVar variants with their consequences to MANE Select, MANE Plus Clinical transcripts, or transcripts with TSL equal to 1. Click a count to filter the variants table below.

Slight differences between displayed counts and ClinVar may occur due to a different transcript/consequence chosen by our variant effect predictor, or because we classify Benign/Likely benign as Likely benign and Pathogenic/Likely pathogenic as Likely pathogenic.

EffectPLPVUSLBBSum
synonymous
9
clinvar
98
clinvar
2
clinvar
109
missense
13
clinvar
13
clinvar
171
clinvar
24
clinvar
221
nonsense
4
clinvar
2
clinvar
2
clinvar
8
start loss
0
frameshift
12
clinvar
8
clinvar
4
clinvar
24
splice donor/acceptor (+/-2bp)
2
clinvar
3
clinvar
24
clinvar
29
Total31262101222391

Highest pathogenic variant AF is 0.000040296534

Loading ClinVar variants...

Transcript Catalog

Annotated transcript isoforms across RefSeq and Ensembl databases

Showing 4 of 92 transcripts
Transcript IDSourceProtein IDCoding ExonsMANE Status
NM_004960.4RefSeqNP_004951.115MANE Select
ENST00000254108.12EnsemblENSP00000254108.815MANE Select
NM_001170634.1RefSeqNP_001164105.115Standard
NM_001170937.1RefSeqNP_001164408.115Standard

Model Organisms & Knockout Phenotypes

Observed phenotypic effects in mouse and zebrafish models

Gene / ModelOrganismObserved Phenotype
fusDanio rerio

Structure: CaP motoneuron

Quality: decreased length

abnormal

Gene Ontology (GO) Annotations & Pathways

Biological processes, molecular functions, cellular components and pathways

Pathways ConsensusPathDB

  • Transcriptional misregulation in cancer - Homo sapiens (human)
  • mRNA Processing
  • Metabolism of RNA
  • mRNA Splicing - Major Pathway
  • mRNA Splicing

Biological Process

  • mRNA splicing, via spliceosome
  • regulation of transcription, DNA-templated
  • cellular response to calcium ion
  • positive regulation of nucleic acid-templated transcription

Molecular Function

  • DNA binding
  • transcription coactivator activity
  • RNA binding
  • protein binding
  • estrogen receptor binding

Cellular Component

  • nucleus
  • nucleoplasm
  • polysome
  • perikaryon
  • dendritic spine head

gnomAD Constraint

Source: gnomAD

Gene type
protein_coding
Transcript type
protein_coding
Transcript
ENST00000254108
Coding exons
15
Length
11697
Individuals with no LoFs
125728
Homozygous LoFs
0
Heterozygous LoFs
5
Defined
125733
p
0.0000199
Z-ScoreObservedExpectedObserved/ExpectedMutation RateTotal Possible
Missense2.212173300.6580.00002073400
Missense (PolyPhen)2863.6840.43967648
Synonymous-2.131471181.250.000007451027
Loss of Function5.16438.60.1040.00000228381

Population LoF Frequency

PopulationCAFp-valueStatus
African00.0absent
Latino/Admixed American0.0000590.000058rare
Ashkenazi Jewish00.0absent
East Asian00.0absent
Finnish00.0absent
European (Non-Finnish)0.0000180.000018rare
South Asian00.0absent
Other0.000170.00016rare

dbNSFP Gene Annotations

Source: dbNSFP

Function
FUNCTION: Binds both single-stranded and double-stranded DNA and promotes ATP-independent annealing of complementary single- stranded DNAs and D-loop formation in superhelical double-stranded DNA. May play a role in maintenance of genomic integrity.;
Disease
DISEASE: Note=A chromosomal aberration involving FUS is found in a patient with malignant myxoid liposarcoma. Translocation t(12;16)(q13;p11) with DDIT3. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:7503811}.; DISEASE: Note=A chromosomal aberration involving FUS is a cause of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Translocation t(16;21)(p11;q22) with ERG. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:8187069}.; DISEASE: Angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma (AFH) [MIM:612160]: A distinct variant of malignant fibrous histiocytoma that typically occurs in children and adolescents and is manifest by nodular subcutaneous growth. Characteristic microscopic features include lobulated sheets of histiocyte-like cells intimately associated with areas of hemorrhage and cystic pseudovascular spaces, as well as a striking cuffing of inflammatory cells, mimicking a lymph node metastasis. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:11063792}. Note=The gene represented in this entry is involved in disease pathogenesis. A chromosomal aberration involving FUS is found in a patient with angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma. Translocation t(12;16)(q13;p11.2) with ATF1 generates a chimeric FUS/ATF1 protein. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:11063792}.; DISEASE: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 6, with or without frontotemporal dementia (ALS6) [MIM:608030]: A neurodegenerative disorder affecting upper motor neurons in the brain and lower motor neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord, resulting in fatal paralysis. Sensory abnormalities are absent. The pathologic hallmarks of the disease include pallor of the corticospinal tract due to loss of motor neurons, presence of ubiquitin-positive inclusions within surviving motor neurons, and deposition of pathologic aggregates. The etiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is likely to be multifactorial, involving both genetic and environmental factors. The disease is inherited in 5-10% of the cases. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:19251627, ECO:0000269|PubMed:19251628, ECO:0000269|PubMed:19861302, ECO:0000269|PubMed:20124201, ECO:0000269|PubMed:27604643}. Note=The disease is caused by mutations affecting the gene represented in this entry.; DISEASE: Tremor, hereditary essential 4 (ETM4) [MIM:614782]: A common movement disorder mainly characterized by postural tremor of the arms. Head, legs, trunk, voice, jaw, and facial muscles also may be involved. The condition can be aggravated by emotions, hunger, fatigue and temperature extremes, and may cause a functional disability or even incapacitation. Inheritance is autosomal dominant. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:22863194}. Note=The disease is caused by mutations affecting the gene represented in this entry.;

Recessive Scores

pRec
0.491

Intolerance Scores

LoFtool
0.00503
RVIS EVS
-1
RVIS percentile EVS
8.32

Essentials

Essential (CRISPR)
N
Essential (CRISPR2)
N
Essential (gene trap)
E
Indispensability pred.
E
Indispensability score
0.856

Gene Damage Prediction

AllRecessiveDominant
MendelianMediumMediumMedium
Primary ImmunodeficiencyMediumMediumMedium
CancerMediumMediumMedium
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