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PETBioNewsNewsGene linked to type 2 diabetes

BioNews

Gene linked to type 2 diabetes

Published 9 June 2009 posted in News and appears in BioNews 342

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BioNews

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.

Icelandic researchers have identified a gene they say could be involved in up to a fifth of all cases of type 2 diabetes. People who inherit a particular version of the gene have a significantly increased risk of developing the condition, say the scientists, who are based at the biotechnology...

Icelandic researchers have identified a gene they say could be involved in up to a fifth of all cases of type 2 diabetes. People who inherit a particular version of the gene have a significantly increased risk of developing the condition, say the scientists, who are based at the biotechnology company deCODE Genetics. The findings, published in the journal Nature Genetics, could lead to the improved prevention and treatment of diabetes.


Type 2 diabetes (T2D) usually affects people over the age of 40. It is more common in overweight, inactive people, and those with a family history of the disease, which suggests that genetic factors are also involved. People with diabetes cannot regulate their blood sugar levels properly, either because their pancreas is not making enough insulin, or because the body becomes resistant to its effects.


In the latest study, the researchers looked at DNA from more than 2000 patients and healthy controls, living in Iceland, Denmark and the US. They focused on different versions of a gene called TCF7L2, which makes a protein that has previously been linked to the control of blood sugar levels. The scientists identified one particular variant of the gene that is more common in people with T2D than in unaffected people. Those who inherit one copy of the gene variant have a 45 per cent increased risk of developing the disease, whereas people who inherit a double dose have a 140 per cent higher chance of doing so, say the scientists.


Team leader Kari Stefansson, chief executive of deCODE, called the findings 'a milestone in human genetics', adding 'a common gene variant conferring elevated risk of T2D has been earnestly sought by the genetics community for many years'. He also said the discovery was 'an exciting starting point for the development of new drugs', and that his company was actively pursuing the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic products for the condition. US medical geneticist David Altshuler commented that 'in terms of the epidemiological risk of diabetes, this is by far the biggest find to date'.

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Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
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23 February 2012 • 1 minute read

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Genetic tests are no better at predicting an individual's risk of developing type-2 diabetes than conventional assessments based on family history and physical factors such as blood pressure and weight, according to a new study by US scientists. The research team, led by Dr. James Meigs...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 2 minutes read

Gene link to diabetes confirmed

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US researchers have confirmed that a common version of a gene involved in controlling blood sugar levels increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Researchers based at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston investigated variants of the TCF7L2 gene in people taking part in the...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
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9 June 2009 • 1 minute read

Gene link between high fat diet and diabetes

by BioNews

US researchers have discovered why a high fat diet could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. The team, based at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), has shown that mice missing a gene that makes a crucial pancreas protein have high blood sugar levels, and eventually develop diabetes...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
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9 June 2009 • 1 minute read

Gene clue to obesity and diabetes

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Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 2 minutes read

Gene clue in diabetes research

by BioNews

Two new studies have identified a link between type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes, and variations in a gene involved in regulating the body's glucose levels. One study, carried out by Finnish and US researchers, looked at 793 Finnish adults with the disease and compared them to 413...

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