Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
9Metabolic and genetic influence on glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetic subjects—experiences from relatives and twin studies
Section snippets
Characterization of glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetic subjects
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is the most common type of diabetes today, and about 250 million people worldwide seem to suffer from this devastating disease. More than 80% of T2D subjects are obese; these subjects are especially characterized by abdominal obesity. Therefore, in this chapter, we concentrate mainly on the typical form, which seems to be linked to a lifestyle of overnutrition, mainly by saturated fat, and reduced physical activity. In the following, we refer to this type of disease when
Classical twin studies
Twin studies have been used extensively in medical research to determine the potential role of genes versus environment in the aetiology of human disease. Monozygotic (MZ) twins are genetically identical and should theoretically be concordant for diseases with a genetic aetiology. Dizygotic (DZ) twins, on the other hand, have 50% of their genes in common and are genetically as different as ordinary siblings. Differences in phenotypic appearance among MZ twin pairs are consequently due to
Genes versus environment in the aetiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus
T2D has traditionally been considered to have a major genetic component, primarily due to twin studies reporting concordance rates in the range of 50–92% among MZ twins.7., 8., 9., 10. Most studies including DZ twins have reported a significantly lower concordance rate among DZ twins, indicating a major genetic component in the aetiology of T2D.7., 8., 10., 11., 12. The incomplete concordance among MZ twins, even in selected studies, implies a role for an environmental component.
We recently
Lessons from studies on glucose metabolism in first-degree relatives and non-diabetic monozygotic co-twins of type 2 diabetic patients
Due to the fact that many of the defects of glucose homeostasis in diabetes may be secondary to hyperglycaemia33., 34., many research groups have focused on studies in non-diabetic persons at risk of T2D. Given the putative impact of genetics for the development of T2D, particular attention has been paid to studies of first-degree relatives of T2D patients as well as studies of non-diabetic genetically identical co-twins of twins with T2D (i.e. MZ twin pairs discordant for T2D). Both groups
Intracellular genetic defects: lessons from cultured myotubes
During recent decades, a large number of studies have searched for the genetic causes of insulin resistance in human skeletal muscle by in vivo studies of MZ and DZ twins and glucose-tolerant first-degree relatives of T2D subjects. Enzyme activities, the expression of key proteins in glucose metabolism and the insulin-signalling cascade were studied in in vivo muscle biopsies as described above. However, it is still uncertain whether the observed changes represent adaptive compensation at the
Impact of the prenatal environment on metabolic defects in type 2 diabetes
During the last decade, a large number of studies have reported an association between low birth weight and the risk of developing T2D.20., 75., 76. Our findings of a significantly lower birth weight in twins with overt T2D, as compared with both their genetically identical and non-identical co-twins, demonstrate that the association between low birth weight and T2D is not entirely explained by any putative association between a gene causing both low birth weight and T2D.
The extent to which an
Conclusion
T2D is a complex disease characterized by several metabolic abnormalities. Fasting and postprandial hyperglycaemia is only one feature characterizing these subjects. Hyperglycaemia develops owing to the combination of reduced insulin-stimulated glucose clearance in the periphery (skeletal muscle) and slightly increased hepatic glucose production. Hyperglycaemia develops in order to compensate for the reduced insulin-mediated uptake, and plasma glucose continues to increase until the
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Differences in monozygotic twins: the implications of diet and intestinal microbioma
2020, Developmental and Fetal Origins of Differences in Monozygotic Twins: From Genetics to Environmental FactorsGut microbiota; its importance in obesity
2018, Encyclopedia of Endocrine DiseasesResponse to “Risk factors for developing prediabetes”
2018, Diabetes Research and Clinical PracticeNature Versus Nurture, Genes Versus the Environment
2017, Fetal and Neonatal Physiology, 2-Volume SetSerum levels of immunoglobulins in an adult population and their relationship with type 2 diabetes
2016, Diabetes Research and Clinical PracticeCitation Excerpt :Studies have shown serum IgG and serum IgM levels were higher in females than in males, and serum IgA levels are higher in males than in females [23,24]. Immunoglobulin levels were associated with age, BMI, smoking and drinking status [23], and genetic factors [25] (family history of diseases including CVD, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, all of which are recognized as genetic factors for diabetes [26,27]). So we firstly used model 1, adjusted for these variables, including age, sex, BMI, drinking, smoking status, family history of some diseases.
ATP-dependent potassium channels and type 2 diabetes mellitus
2015, Clinical BiochemistryCitation Excerpt :Chronic insulin overproduction, in addition to gluco- and lipotoxicity, may result in β-cell failure compromising this hormone's release [25–27]. Several genes have been reported as candidates for diabetes development and the identification of DM-associated variants has contributed to the understanding of this disease [28–32]. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a multifactorial pathology, in which genetic and environmental factors are crucial for its development [33].