Type 1 diabetes: good genes behaving badly
November 5, 2008 by Grace Ibay
Filed under Cardiovascular diseases, Genes, Genetic Diseases and Conditions
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Early-onset type 1 diabetes may have less to do with certain genes causing inborn genetic errors, and more to do with normal genes behaving differently for those with the disease.
To find out how certain twins get diabetes while the other does not, Stanford University scientists studied two types of mice models: Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice with the gene variants that closely resembles a predisposing gene complex in humans (MHC), and another group of non-diabetic mice without the predisposing genes. The group found that clusters of genes were consistently expressed in the NOD mice in specific tissues at certain times. What is even more interesting is the gene expression "signatures" occurred before certain signs of diabetes were noticed, such as hyperglycemia.
So if these pre-diabetes clues can be identified in humans, then warnings and preventive therapies can be developed to help people way before the onset of disease.
