Ataxin-10

Ataxin-10 (ATXN10) is a 475-amino-acid protein that regulates cytokinesis and may stimulate protein glycosylation (UniProt: Q9UBB4). It promotes neuritogenesis through Ras-MAP kinase pathway activation and is essential for cerebellar neuron survival, though it appears dispensable for ciliogenesis.

The protein is primarily implicated in spinocerebellar ataxia 10 (SCA10), an autosomal dominant cerebellar disorder characterized by progressive gait incoordination and neuronal degeneration in the cerebellum and brainstem (UniProt: Q9UBB4). Its role in cerebellar neuron survival suggests relevance to degenerative neurological phenotypes.

In Alzheimer's disease, ataxin-10 is upregulated in post-mortem AD brain tissue compared to age-matched controls, with a mean log2 fold-change of 0.45 in human TMT-labeled proteomics across subcellular fractions (Chaparral AD proteomics). This elevation may reflect compensatory neuritogenic signaling or altered protein glycosylation during AD pathogenesis.