Scientists believe there are a whole host of genes that interact with health and lifestyle wellness factors to contribute to your wellbeing risks, especially with regard to diabetes, but a new study, published online in the journal Nature Genetics, claims that there are now three new and relatively rare genetic variants that influence insulin production, which at least gives scientists a clue about the genetic factors behind diabetes.
According to Karen Mohlke, PhD, one of the study’s senior authors and associate professor of genetics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, ‘Studying genetic variants – even rare ones – helps us learn how genes affect health and disease,’ and ‘In this study, we’ve implicated new genes as playing a role in insulin processing and secretion.’
For the first time, this evidence has been reported using exome array genotyping, which is a new tool that is less expensive than genetic sequencing. Thanks to this analysis, the scientists can screen DNA samples quickly for known variants in specific genes, which is helpful in particular when it comes to variants that are rare. ‘The exome array allowed us to test a large number of individuals – in this case, more than 8,000 people – very efficiently,’ Mohlke explained. ‘We expect that this type of analysis will be useful for finding low-frequency variants associated with many complex traits, including obesity or cancer.’
For the study, the team used data from researchers at the University of Eastern Finland, who conducted a large health study. The team, which included postdoctoral scientist Jeroen Huyghe at the University of Michigan, was led by Ann Arborto integrate genetic data and detailed health records for a sample of 8,229 Finnish males, and analyse the statistics. They demonstrated that even in people without diabetes, certain variants of three genes called TBC1D30, KANK1 and PAM are associated with abnormal insulin production or processing, and so could predispose you to developing the disease.
The team concluded by saying that they are continuing their work, to determine how these genes may lead to diabetes, and hope that others will be inspired to use exome analysis to look at the genetic factors behind other complex diseases.
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