Seven new genetic regions associated with type 2 diabetes have been identified in the largest study to date of the genetic basis of the disease. DNA data was brought together from more than 48,000 patients and 139,000 healthy controls from four different ethnic groups.The research was conducted by an international consortium of investigators from 20 countries on four continents, co-led by investigators from Oxford University's Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics.
The majority of “genome-wide association studies” have been done in populations with European backgrounds. This research is notable for including DNA data from populations of Asian and Hispanic origin as well. The researchers believe that, as more genetic data increasingly become available from populations of South Asian ancestry and, particularly, African descent, it will be possible to map genes implicated in type 2 diabetes ever more closely.
Among the regions identified by the international research team are two, near the genes ARL15 and RREB1, which also show strong links to elevated levels of insulin and glucose in the body, two key characteristics of type 2 diabetes.
The study looked at more than three million DNA variants to identify those that have a measurable impact on type 2 diabetes risk. By combining DNA data from many tens of thousands of individuals, the consortium was able to detect regions where the effects on diabetes susceptibility are rather subtle. “Although the genetic effects may be small, each signal tells us something new about the biology of the disease,” says first author Anubha Mahajan, PhD, of Oxford University. “These findings may lead us to new ways of thinking about the disease, with the aim ultimately of developing novel therapies to treat and prevent diabetes.”
