A new gene associated with diabetes has been discovered by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
The study authors found the gene, Tpcn2, is associated with fasting glucose in rats, mice and in humans. Tpcn2 is a lysosomal calcium channel that is responsible for insulin signalling.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9.3 percent of Americans suffer from diabetes; that translates into 29.1 million people. And around 27 percent of people with diabetes are undiagnosed. About 12.3 percent Americans aged 20 or older have diabetes.
The researchers stated in a press release that the studies in Tpcn2 knockout mice showed the difference in fasting glucose levels as well as insulin response between the knockout animals and regular mice. The team found different variants within Tpcn2 responsible for fasting insulin in humans.
"Genome-wide association studies in humans have identified 60+ genes linked to type 2 diabetes; however, these genes explain only a small portion of heritability in diabetes studies. As we continue to identify genes and variants of interest, we will evaluate them in multiple models to understand the mechanism of disease," said lead study author Leah Solberg Woods, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics at MCW and a researcher in the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Research Institute.
In 2010, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the country. New cases of diabetes among people 20 years or older spiked in 2012.
The findings of the study were documented in the journal Genetics.
