Over-Mutated Mitochondrial, Lysosomal and TFEB-Regulated Genes in Parkinson’s Disease

The association between Parkinson’s disease (PD) and mutations in genes involved in lysosomal and mitochondrial function has been previously reported. However, little is known about the involvement of other genes or cellular mechanisms. We aim to identify novel genetic associations to better understand the pathogenesis of PD. We performed WES in a cohort of 32 PD patients and 30 age-matched controls. We searched for rare variants in 1667 genes: PD-associated, related to lysosomal function and mitochondrial function and TFEB-regulated. When comparing the PD patient cohort with that of age matched controls, a statistically significant burden of rare variants in the previous group of genes were identified. In addition, the Z-score calculation, using the European population database (GnomAD), showed an over-representation of particular variants in 36 genes. Interestingly, 11 of these genes are implicated in mitochondrial function and 18 are TFEB-regulated genes. Our results suggest, for the first time, an involvement of TFEB-regulated genes in the genetic susceptibility to PD. This is remarkable as TFEB factor has been reported to be sequestered inside Lewy bodies, pointing to a role of TFEB in the pathogenesis of PD. Our data also reinforce the involvement of lysosomal and mitochondrial mechanisms in PD.