Type 2 diabetes affects almost 400 million people across the world. It is caused by a combination of lifestyle as well as genetic factors which together result in high blood sugar levels.
One such genetic factor is a variation in a gene called SLC30A8, which encodes a protein which carries zinc. This protein is important, because zinc is essential for ensuring that insulin, (the only hormone that can reduce blood sugar levels) has the right shape in the beta-cells of the pancreas.
Researchers have known for almost ten years that changes in this gene can reduce the risk of getting type 2 diabetes, but not how this happened. They now recruited new members from families with a rare mutation in the SLC30A8 gene to study how they responded to sugar in a meal.
"A definite strength of our study is we could study families. We could compare people with the mutation with their relatives who do not have the mutation, but who have similar genetic background and life-style", said the co-lead of the study.
"This way, we could make sure that the effects we were seeing were definitely because of this gene, and not because of another genetic or life-style factor."
The results showed that people with the mutation have higher insulin and lower blood sugar levels, reducing their risk for diabetes.
An international collaboration of 50 researchers also studied pancreatic cells with and without the mutation in the lab, and carried out experiments in mice and human cellular material to understand exactly what was happening when the function of the SLC30A8 gene changed.
"We found that this mutation had collateral consequences on key functions of pancreatic beta cells and during their development. Importantly, this study exposes the extraordinary molecular complexity behind a specific gene variation conferring risk or protection from type 2 diabetes", said the co-first author.
"Taken together, the human and model system data show enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion combined with enhanced conversion of the prehormone proinsulin to insulin as the most likely explanation for protection against type 2 diabetes", said the other co- first author of the study.
Better understanding of the genetic and pathological mechanism behind diabetes can open up new ways of preventing or treating type 2 diabetes.
"Our results position this zinc transporter as an appealing and safe target for antidiabetic therapies. If a drug can be developed that mimics the protective effect of this mutation, beta-cell function could be preserved and the insulin secretion capacity in diabetic patients maintained", said the senior author of the study.
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/health-news/study-decodes-gene-function-that-protects-against-type-2-diabetes
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-019-0513-9
Gene function that protects against type 2 diabetes discovered!
- 2,684 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
Early signs of Parkinson's disease seen in general health parameters
Structural changes in G6PD causes common blood disorder
Reversing cognitive decline in ageing by restoring immune cell metabolism
Why remdesivir does not fully stop the coronavirus
Trash removal during deep sleep!
Other Top Stories
Three reasons why COVID-19 can cause silent hypoxia
'Gut-lung axis' in deadly lung disease!
Receptor for Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) in the brain identified!
How hydroxychloroquine undermines its use in COVID-19
Triple RNA-Seq Reveals Synergy in a Human Virus-Fungus Co-infection Model
Protocols
Dual-Angle Protocol for Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography to Improve Retinal Blood Flow Measur…
Detection of protein SUMOylation in vivo
In vivo analysis of protein sumoylation induced by a viral protein: Detection of HCMV pp71-induce…
Determination of SUMOylation sites
miR-Selection 3'UTR Target Selection Kit
Publications
Diabetes, obesity, metabolism and SARS-CoV-2 infection: The end of the beginning
Lymph nodes are innervated by a unique population of sensory neurons with immunomodulatory potential
The promise and peril of deep learning in microscopy
Longitudinal analysis of premotor anthropometric and serological markers of Parkinson's disease
Long-range structural defects by pathogenic mutations in most severe glucose-6-phosphate dehydrog…
Presentations
Homeostasis
PLANT MITOCHONDRIAL BIOLOGY
Photosynthesis
Endocrine Disorders
THE PITUITARY GLAND
Posters
ACMT 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts - New York, NY
Abstracts from the 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting of the British and Irish Hypertension Society (…
ACNP 58th Annual Meeting: Poster Session III
ACNP 58th Annual Meeting: Poster Session II
ACNP 58th Annual Meeting: Poster Session I