TAR DNA Binding Protein （TARDBP） was initially recognized as a transcriptional repressor which binds to chromosomally integrated TAR DNA and represses HIV-1 transcription. In addition， TARDBP has been detected in individuals diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy as well， which is a condition that often imitates ALS and has been related with athletes who have experienced multiple concussions and other types of head injury.TARDBP has been shown to bind both DNA and RNA， it has multiple functions in transcriptional repression， pre-mRNA splicing and translational regulation.
