Person: Klein, Andrés
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Klein
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Andrés
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Publication Understanding the phenotypic variability in Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC): a need for precision medicine(2023) Las Heras, Macarena; Szenfeld, Benjamín; Ballout, Rami A.; Buratti, Emanuele; Zanlungo, Silvana; Dardis, Andrea; Klein, AndrésNiemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease is a lysosomal storage disease (LSD) characterized by the buildup of endo-lysosomal cholesterol and glycosphingolipids due to loss of function mutations in the NPC1 and NPC2 genes. NPC patients can present with a broad phenotypic spectrum, with differences at the age of onset, rate of progression, severity, organs involved, effects on the central nervous system, and even response to pharmacological treatments. This article reviews the phenotypic variation of NPC and discusses its possible causes, such as the remaining function of the defective protein, modifier genes, sex, environmental cues, and splicing factors, among others. We propose that these factors should be considered when designing or repurposing treatments for this disease. Despite its seeming complexity, this proposition is not far-fetched, considering the expanding interest in precision medicine and easier access to multi-omics technologies.Publication Glucocerebrosidase mutations disrupt the lysosome and now the mitochondria(2023) Klein, Andrés; Outeiro, Tiago Flemingβ-Glucocerebrosidase (GCase) mutations lead to glucosylceramide build-up in the lysosome, impacting α-synuclein aggregation and autophagy. Recently, Baden and colleagues found GCase in mitochondria, supporting mitochondrial complex I function and energy metabolism. We believe the newly described role of GCase in the mitochondria will inform new Parkinson’s and Gaucher’s disease therapeutics.Publication Polygenic scores contribution to Parkinson's disease comorbidities(2025) Hernández, Carlos; Villaman, Camilo; Tejos, Cristian; Repetto, Gabriela; Leu, Costin; Lal, Dennis; Mata, Ignacio; Klein, Andrés; Pérez Palma, EduardoComorbidities are common in Parkinson's disease and significantly impact the disease progression and management. While polygenic scores have been widely used to assess genetic risk for complex diseases, their role in comorbidity presentation in Parkinson's disease remains unclear. This study investigates whether genetic predisposition to comorbidities, as measured by polygenic scores, differs between individuals with Parkinson's disease and the general population and explores how genetic risk influences disease onset and sex-related differences. We analysed data from 4144 individuals with Parkinson's disease and 370 480 individuals from the general population in the UK Biobank, focusing on four comorbidities with high-quality genome-wide association study data: Type 2 diabetes, major depressive disorder, migraine headaches and epilepsy. We first compared polygenic score distributions between individuals with Parkinson's disease and the general population. While our findings indicate that comorbidities and polygenic risk scores do not significantly differ between individuals with Parkinson's disease and the general population, we show an association with disease onset and sex-specific differences. Individuals with earlier disease onset (50-70 years old) had higher genetic risk for major depressive disorder (odds ratio: 2.19, P-value: 1.27 × 10⁻¹⁵) and epilepsy (odds ratio: 1.58, P-value: 0.00845). Additionally, a female participant with Parkinson's disease exhibited higher genetic risk scores for major depressive disorder (odds ratio: 1.5, P-value: 0.0119) and migraine headaches (odds ratio: 2.1, P-value: 0.0155), while a male participant displayed higher genetic risk scores for Type 2 diabetes (odds ratio: 2.7, P-value: 2.11 × 10⁻¹⁷). Comorbidity-polygenic score did not differ between people with versus without Parkinson's disease, yet within Parkinson's disease, a higher genetic burden for specific comorbidities was linked to earlier onset and sex-specific presentation, implicating common variants as modifiers of clinical heterogeneity rather than the primary disease risk. These results enhance our understanding of the genetic influences shaping the broader clinical presentation of Parkinson's disease and highlight the need for further research into the interplay between genetic risk factors, comorbidities and disease heterogeneity.Publication Genomic variation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae influences paraquat response through differential oxidative stress and vacuolar adaptations(2025) Rubilar, Juan; Szenfeld, Benjamín; Cubillos, Francisco; Klein, AndrésThe conserved genetics between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mammals makes yeast an ideal model for studying the biological effects of paraquat (PQ), an herbicide linked to Parkinson's disease (PD) risk in humans. To determine how genetic background influences PQ toxicity, we treated four diverse yeast strains (NA, SA, WA, and WE) and assessed their physiological (growth curves), molecular (superoxide and peroxide levels), and cellular (vacuolar morphology/disaggregation) responses. PQ significantly reduced the specific growth rate (µMax) in WE and WA strains, while SA and NA remained unaffected. Superoxide and peroxide levels increased across all strains to varying degrees, with SA and WE exhibiting the highest accumulation. Furthermore, we found an inverse association between superoxide levels and µMax. PQ also induced strain-dependent vacuolar morphology shifts, from a single large organelle to fragmented vacuoles, with the susceptible WE strain displaying the most extreme disaggregation. Given the known link between lysosomal dysfunction and pesticide-induced PD, we investigated correlations between predicted missense variants in vacuolar genes and PQ responses. This analysis identified associations between fen2 variants, the human SLC17A5 ortholog, and vacuolar disaggregation. Validation using a fen2-deleted strain (Δfen2) confirmed its mechanistic role, showing increased vacuolar fragmentation, elevated oxidative markers, and compromised growth upon PQ exposure. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that PQ susceptibility is intrinsically linked to intracellular superoxide levels and that fen2 plays a critical role in the vacuolar adaptive response to oxidative stress. The mechanisms employed by the most resistant strains may inform the development of novel therapeutics for PQ-exposed individuals.