Body-clock gene link to diabetes
Monday January 30th, 2012
British researchers have linked the development of diabetes late in life with genetic mutations in the body-clock.
The finding, reported last night, may give new insights into the relationship between sleeping habits and the development of diabetes.
Reported in Nature Genetics, it is the second time researchers at Imperial College, London, have linked diabetes to the body-clock hormone melatonin.
But it is the first time they have found a connection between rare mutations and a much increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Their earlier work showed a link between common variations in a melatonin gene and a small increase risk of diabetes.
The new research finds a six times increase from four rare mutations.
According to researcher Professor Philippe Froguel, the most likely explanation is that melatonin normally controls the body's release of insulin - and that the mutations mean this does not happen properly.
The findings come from a study of some 7,632 people in Britain and France.
The scientists studied a gene called MT2, which is meant to respond to melatonin levels.
Professor Froguel said: "Although each mutation is rare, they are common in the sense that everyone has a lot of very rare mutations in their DNA. Cataloguing these mutations will enable us to much more accurately assess a person’s risk of disease based on their genetics."
Rare MTNR1B variants impairing melatonin receptor 1B function contribute to type 2 diabetes. A. Bonnefond et al. Nature Genetics. January 29 2012.
Printer friendly page