Loss of function mutations in progranulin cause tau-negative frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin-positive inclusions. A major protein component of these inclusions is TDP-43, which becomes hyperphosphorylated, ubiquitinated, and cleaved to generate C-terminal fragments, which apparently translocate from nuclei to the cytoplasm. Most progranulin mutations are nonsense mutations resulting in nonsensemediated mRNA decay and consequently reduced progranulin protein levels. However, some missense mutations are described that occur within the signal sequence and mature progranulin. We now demonstrate that a progranulin mutation located within the signal sequence (PGRN A9D) results in cytoplasmic missorting with extremely low expression. In contrast, two other progranulin mutations (PGRN P248L and R432C) are expressed as immature proteins but are inefficiently transported through and partially degraded within the secretory pathway, resulting in a significantly reduced secretion. Thus apparently all progranulin mutations cause reduced protein expression or secretion, although by different cellular mechanisms. To investigate a putative relationship between reduced expression of progranulin and TDP-43 relocalization and deposition, we down-regulated progranulin in human cell lines and in zebrafish. Upon reduction of progranulin, neither a major redistribution of TDP-43 nor proteolytic processing to disease-characterizing C-terminal fragments could be observed.Dementias are a major health problem in our aging society. The most frequent forms of dementia, namely Alzheimer disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), 3 as well as dementia with Lewy bodies and related disorders are associated with selective neuronal cell loss. In these neurodegenerative disorders, proteins, which are normally soluble are known to misfold because of proteolytic processing and/or abnormal posttranslational modifications. Such insoluble amyloidogenic proteins are often deposited and may form reservoirs for neurotoxic oligomers (1). FTLD, which accounts approximately for 15% of all dementias, is characterized by two different types of cellular inclusions. About 40% of FTLD cases have tau-positive inclusions (2, 3). Genetic linkage led to the identification of more than 40 different mutations in the microtubule-associated protein tau gene locus on chromosome 17 (4). However, a number of familial FTLD cases failed to exhibit mutations in the tau gene, although strong linkage to chromosome 17 was observed (5). These cases were characterized by tau-and ␣-synuclein-negative, ubiquitin-positive cytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions (3). The inclusions are observed in the frontotemporal cortex, the temporal neocortex, and the hippocampus and define the frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin-immunoreactive inclusions (FTLD-U). FTLD-U is the most frequent neuropathological form of FTLD and presents with progressive social, behavioral symptoms, and language dysfunction. Patients may also develop typical symptoms of motoneuron...