Recent Insights into NCL Protein Function Using the Model Organism Dictyostelium discoideum

The neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) are a group of devastating neurological disorders that have a global distribution and affect people of all ages. Commonly known as Batten disease, this form of neurodegeneration is linked to mutations in 13 genetically distinct genes. The precise mechanisms underlying the disease are unknown, in large part due to our poor understanding of the functions of NCL proteins. The social amoeba Dictyostelium...