SOD1, Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase, is a major antioxidant enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of superoxide anion to hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen. The mechanism by which mutant SOD1 induces the neurodegeneration observed in ALS is still unclear. Mutant SOD1 proteins become misfolded and consequently oligomerize into high molecular weight species that aggregate and end up in proteinaceous inclusions.
