Identification: Mechanism of Genetic Predisposition to Type 2 Diabetes

Filed in archive Developments , Research on August 3, 2007

It has already been said that certain genes predispose some individuals to type 2 diabetes.

Now, the mechanism behind such genetic susceptibility is being identified in the hope that the discovery will lead to the development of new treatment strategies for individuals suffering from the disease.

As found by Valeriya Lyssenko and colleagues from Lund University in Sweden:

Certain variants of the gene TCF7L2 make individuals more susceptible to type 2 diabetes. The susceptibility variants were associated with increased expression of TCF7L2 in pancreatic islet cells and decreased islet cell secretion of insulin.

Consistent with this, ectopic overexpression of TCF7L2 in human islet cells decreased insulin secretion in response to exposure to glucose.

This study identifies TCF7L2 type 2 diabetes susceptibility variants and provides a mechanism by which these genetic variants might cause susceptibility to the disease.

Findings appear in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Read the full report.