http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23868950/

Researchers say finding could help prevent and/or treat the condition


LONDON - U.S. and European scientists have found six more genes that make
people more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes, in a study they say
may help prevent and treat the chronic condition.

The finding extends the total number of genes linked to the disease to 16
and provides clues to how the biological mechanisms that control blood sugar
levels go awry when people get type 2 diabetes, the researchers said.
"None of the genes we have found was previously on the radar screen of
diabetes researchers," said Mark McCarthy, a diabetes researcher at the
University of Oxford, who co-led the study.

"Each of these genes therefore provides new clues to the processes that go
wrong when diabetes develops, and each provides an opportunity for the
generation of new approaches for treating or preventing this condition."
A diabetic's blood glucose levels tend to rise too high. Too much glucose in
the blood can damage the eyes, kidneys and nerves, and lead to heart
disease, stroke and limb amputations.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 percent of all diabetes cases and is
closely linked to obesity and physical inactivity. The World Health
Organisation estimates that more than 180 million people worldwide have
diabetes  a number likely to more than double by 2030.

In the study published in Nature Genetics, researchers from over 40 centers
analyzed the genetic data of more than 70,000 people. The team turned up six
genetic differences that each individually slightly raise a person's risk of
diabetes.

But the risk for the few people unlucky enough to inherit all six variations
is two to three times higher than the average risk, McCarthy said in a
telephone interview.

Diabetes may have many subtypes
"By getting a handle on the mechanisms involved in disease we can start to
tackle them in a more systemic and scientific way," he said.
One of the surprising finds was the link between type 2 diabetes and a gene
called JAZF1, which researchers recently showed plays a role in prostate
cancer, the researcher added.
The researchers believe the genes  which also include the CDC123-CAMK1D,
TSPAN8-LGR5, THADA, ADAMTS9 and NOTCH2 genes  are involved in regulating
the number of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, McCarthy said.

MORE DIABETES GENES IDENTIFIED

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23868950/

Researchers say finding could help prevent and/or treat the condition


LONDON - U.S. and European scientists have found six more genes that make
people more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes, in a study they say
may help prevent and treat the chronic condition.

The finding extends the total number of genes linked to the disease to 16
and provides clues to how the biological mechanisms that control blood sugar
levels go awry when people get type 2 diabetes, the researchers funny pictures said.
"None of the genes we have found was previously on the radar screen of
diabetes researchers," said Mark McCarthy, a diabetes researcher at the
University of Oxford, who co-led the study.

"Each of these genes therefore provides new clues to the processes that go
wrong when diabetes develops, and each provides an opportunity for the
generation of new approaches for treating or preventing this condition."
A diabetic's blood glucose levels tend to rise too high. Too much glucose in
the blood can damage the eyes, kidneys and nerves, and lead to heart
disease, stroke and limb amputations.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 percent of all diabetes cases and is
closely linked to obesity and physical inactivity. The World Health
Organisation estimates that more than 180 million people worldwide have
diabetes  a number likely to more than double by 2030.

In the study published in Nature Genetics, researchers from over 40 centers
analyzed the genetic data of more than 70,000 people. The team turned up six
genetic differences that each individually slightly raise a person's risk of
diabetes.

But the risk for the few people unlucky enough to inherit all six variations
is two to three times higher than the average risk, McCarthy said in a
telephone interview.

Diabetes may have many subtypes
"By getting a handle on the mechanisms involved in disease we can start to
tackle them in a more systemic and scientific way," he said.
One of the surprising finds was the link between type 2 diabetes and a gene
called JAZF1, which researchers recently showed plays a role in prostate
cancer, the researcher added.
The researchers believe the genes  which also include the CDC123-CAMK1D,
TSPAN8-LGR5, THADA, ADAMTS9 and NOTCH2 genes  are involved in regulating
the number of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, McCarthy said.