High heritability and genetic correlation of intravenous glucose- and tolbutamide-induced insulin secretion among non-diabetic family members of type 2 diabetic patients.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to estimate the heritability of quantitative measures of glucose regulation obtained from a tolbutamide-modified frequently sampled IVGTT (t-FSIGT) and to correlate the heritability of the glucose-stimulated beta cell response to the tolbutamide-induced beta cell response. In addition, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) having an exclusive effect on either glucose- or tolbutamide-stimulated insulin release were identified. METHODS: Two hundred and eighty-four non-diabetic family members of patients with type 2 diabetes underwent a t-FSIGT with intravenous injection of glucose at t = 0 min and tolbutamide at t = 20 min. Measurements of plasma glucose, serum insulin and serum C-peptide were taken at 33 time points from fasting to 180 min. Insulin secretion rate, acute insulin response (AIR), disposition index (DI) after glucose and disposition index after tolbutamide (DIT), insulin sensitivity (SI), glucose effectiveness (SG) and beta cell responsiveness to glucose were calculated. A polygenic variance component model was used to estimate heritability, genetic correlations and associations. RESULTS: We found high heritabilities for acute insulin secretion subsequent to glucose stimulation (AIRglucose h (2) ± SE: 0.88 ± 0.14), but these were slightly lower after tolbutamide (AIRtolbutamide h (2) ± SE: 0.69 ± 0.14). We also estimated the heritabilities for SI (h (2) ± SE: 0.26 ± 0.12), SG (h (2) ± SE: 0.47 ± 0.13), DI (h (2) ± SE: 0.56 ± 0.14), DIT (h (2) ± SE: 0.49 ± 0.14) and beta cell responsiveness to glucose (h (2) ± SE: 0.66 ± 0.12). Additionally, strong genetic correlations were found between measures of beta cell response after glucose and tolbutamide stimulation, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.77 to 0.88. Furthermore, we identified five SNPs with an exclusive effect on either glucose-stimulated (rs5215, rs1111875, rs11920090) or tolbutamide-stimulated (rs10946398, rs864745) insulin secretion. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our data demonstrate that both glucose- and tolbutamide-induced insulin secretions are highly heritable traits, which are largely under the control of the same genes.

Family and population-based studies of variation within the ghrelin receptor locus in relation to measures of obesity.

BACKGROUND: The growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) is mediating hunger sensation when stimulated by its natural ligand ghrelin. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that common and rare variation in the GHSR locus are related to increased prevalence of obesity and overweight among Whites. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a population-based study sample of 15,854 unrelated, middle-aged Danes, seven variants were genotyped to capture common variation in an 11 kbp region including GHSR. These were investigated for their individual and haplotypic association with obesity. None of these analyses revealed consistent association with measures of obesity. A -151C/T promoter mutation in the GHSR was found in two unrelated obese patients. One family presented with complete co-segregation, but the other with incomplete co-segregation. The mutation resulted in an increased transcriptional activity (p<0.02) and introduction of a specific binding for Sp-1-like nuclear extracts relative to the wild type. The -151C/T mutation was genotyped in the 15,854 Danes with a minor allele frequency of 0.01%. No association with obesity in carriers (mean BMI: 27+/-4 kg/m(2)) versus non-carriers (mean BMI: 28+/-5 kg/m(2)) (p>0.05) could be shown. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In a population-based study sample of 15,854 Danes no association between GHSR genotypes and measures of obesity and overweight was found. Also, analyses of GHSR haplotypes lack consistent associations with obesity related traits. A rare functional GHSR promoter mutation variant was identified, yet there was no consistent relationship with obesity in neither family- nor population-based studies.

The BIGTT test: a novel test for simultaneous measurement of pancreatic beta-cell function, insulin sensitivity, and glucose tolerance.

OBJECTIVE: Insulin resistance and impaired beta-cell function are key elements in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to develop valid algorithms for estimation of the insulin sensitivity index (S(I)) and acute insulin response (AIR) derived from simple and cheap physiological measurements that could be used in large-scale metabolic, genetic, and epidemiological studies. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: For our purpose, data from an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) (18 samples during 240 min) and a tolbutamide-modified intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) (33 samples during 180 min) from 258 individuals with fasting plasma glucose <7 mmol/l and 2-h plasma glucose <7.8 mmol/l were used for model development and internal validation. Data from an additional 28 individuals were used for external validation. Bergman's minimal model was used to calculate S(I), and the trapezoidal method was used to calculate AIR(0-8 min). Multiple linear regression was applied to derive predictive equations of log(S(I)) and log(AIR(0-8 min)) using data on sex, BMI, plasma glucose, and serum insulin levels obtained during the OGTT. RESULTS: We demonstrate that it is possible to obtain estimates of S(I) (BIGTT-S(I)) and AIR (BIGTT-AIR) that are highly correlated to IVGTT-derived values of S(I) (R(2) = 0.77) and AIR (R(2) = 0.54). In the two validation datasets we obtained similar results. CONCLUSIONS: Data from OGTTs can provide accurate measures of insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function, which can be used in large scale metabolic, genetic, and epidemiological studies.

Variation in CAPN10 in relation to type 2 diabetes, obesity and quantitative metabolic traits: studies in 6018 whites.

The first type 2 diabetes (T2D) gene to be identified in a genome wide scan followed by positional cloning was CAPN10 encoding the cysteine protease calpain-10. Subsequently, a large number of studies have investigated variation in CAPN10 in relation to T2D. Two CAPN10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), the SNP43 (rs3792267) and the SNP44 (rs2975760), have been associated with T2D in some, but not all studies conducted in a wide range of ethnicities. We investigated the two SNPs for association with T2D in a relatively large, homogenous population of Danish whites (n = 1359 T2D cases, n = 4659 normoglycemic and glucose-tolerant control subjects), however, no significant associations of the SNP43 or the SNP44 variant with T2D were found. Neither were the two variants associated with obesity, and no association of either variant with diabetes-related quantitative traits was found in a study involving a population-based sample of 5698 middle-aged subjects. Meta-analyses, however, of the present and previously published studies involving 15,368 (SNP43) or 13,628 (SNP44) subjects yielded odds ratios of 1.09 (95% CI 1.02-1.16, p = 0.007) and 1.15 (1.07-1.23, p = 0.0002), respectively, for association with T2D. In conclusion, in a relatively large study sample of whites we found no consistent evidence of association of the CAPN10 SNP43 or SNP44 with T2D, obesity, or related quantitative traits, although meta-analyses of these two CAPN10 SNPs demonstrated an association with T2D.

A -30G>A polymorphism of the beta-cell-specific glucokinase promoter associates with hyperglycemia in the general population of whites.

A graded relationship has been reported between fasting and postprandial plasma glucose levels and the subsequent risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that the GCK -30G>A promoter polymorphism is associated with elevated glycemia in the middle-aged general population of whites, as well as with features of the World Health Organization (WHO)-defined metabolic syndrome. The GCK -30G>A polymorphism was genotyped in the population-based Inter99 study cohort (5,965 subjects) and in 332 nondiabetic subjects and 1,063 patients with type 2 diabetes. In the Inter99 cohort, the GCK -30A allele was associated with increased fasting (P < 0.001) and post-oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) plasma glucose levels (P < 0.001), and in the same cohort, the GCK -30A allele was more frequent among 1,325 subjects with the metabolic syndrome than among 1,679 subjects without any components of the metabolic syndrome (P = 0.002). Moreover, the GCK -30A allele frequency was higher among 2,587 subjects with impaired glucose regulation (IGR) than among 4,773 glucose-tolerant subjects (17.3% [95% CI 16.2-18.3] vs. 15.0% [14.3-15.7], P < 0.001, odds ratio GG vs. GA 1.21 [1.08-1.36], GG vs. AA 1.62 [1.17-2.24]). In conclusion, the GCK -30G>A polymorphism associates with elevated fasting and post-OGTT glycemia in the middle-aged general population of whites, as well as with IGR and other features of the WHO-defined metabolic syndrome.

Studies of the Gly482Ser polymorphism of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC-1alpha) gene in Danish subjects with the metabolic syndrome.

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1alpha (PGC-1alpha) is a novel transcriptional co-activator that holds an important role in lipid and glucose metabolism. PGC-1alpha is a candidate gene for the metabolic syndrome (MS) as well as type 2 diabetes. Recent studies suggested linkage between the chromosomal region of PGC-1alpha and fasting serum insulin levels, and associates a Gly482Ser polymorphism of the gene with type 2 diabetes and hypertension. In this study, we investigated whether the Gly482Ser variant is associated with the MS per se or other phenotypic traits related to this syndrome. The variant was examined, using PCR-RFLP, in the DanMONICA cohort comprising a population-based sample of 2349 subjects. MS was defined using the National Cholesterol Education Program -- Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII) criteria. The allelic frequency of the Ser482 allele was 35.8% in the MS group and 35.6% in the non-MS group (P = 0.74). There were no significant differences across the three groups of genotypes with respect to any of the examined variables, including BMI, waist, fasting serum lipids, plasma glucose, serum insulin, HOMA estimates of insulin resistance and insulin secretion, 24-ambulatory blood pressure or left ventricular mass index. In conclusion, the Gly482Ser polymorphism of the PGC-1alpha gene is not associated with the metabolic syndrome, related quantitative traits or cardiac hypertrophy among Danish Caucasian subjects.

Variation in the interleukin-6 receptor gene associates with type 2 diabetes in Danish whites.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in the pathophysiology of various human diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. IL-6 signals via a heterodimeric receptor complex consisting of a soluble IL-6 alpha-subunit (IL-6 receptor [IL6R]) and a signal transducing subunit (gp130). The IL6R gene maps to an important candidate locus for type 2 diabetes on chromosome 1q21. An Asp358Ala polymorphism of the IL6R has been reported to associate with obesity in Pima Indians. We investigated the Asp358Ala polymorphism in relation to type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other pre-diabetic quantitative traits among Danish whites. By applying a recessive genetic model in a case-control study of 1,349 type 2 diabetic patients and 4,596 glucose-tolerant control subjects, we found a significant difference in genotype distribution (P = 0.008) and in allele frequency (Ala-allele 38.3% [95% CI 36.5-40.1] in diabetic subjects vs. 41.2% [40.2-42.2] in control subjects; P = 0.007). The odds ratio for the Asp/Asp carriers versus Ala/Ala carriers was 1.38 (1.09-1.71). Among 4,251 middle-aged glucose-tolerant subjects, the Asp358Ala polymorphism was not associated with estimates of obesity, post-oral glucose tolerance test serum insulin release, or the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index. In conclusion, the Asp358Ala polymorphism of the IL6R associates with type 2 diabetes in Danish whites.

A common polymorphism in the promoter of the IGF-I gene associates with increased fasting serum triglyceride levels in glucose-tolerant subjects.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to examine if absence of a common allele in a microsatellite polymorphism in the insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) promoter was associated with type 2 diabetes and alterations in quantitative traits in glucose-tolerant subjects. METHODS: The IGF-I promoter polymorphism was investigated in a case-control study comprising 694 type 2 diabetic patients and 218 glucose-tolerant control subjects, and in two genotype-quantitative trait studies involving 208 glucose-tolerant first-degree offspring of type 2 diabetic patients and 218 unrelated middle-aged subjects with normal glucose tolerance. RESULTS: No associations were found between the lack of the common promoter allele and type 2 diabetes (P = 0.25) or estimates of glucose metabolism in glucose-tolerant subjects. Presence of the wild-type allele was associated with an increase in fasting serum triglyceride levels in the group of 208 glucose-tolerant first-degree offspring of type 2 diabetic patients (P = 0.002). This finding was replicated in an independent sample of 218 unrelated middle-aged subjects with normal glucose tolerance (P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: The present study provides evidence that the common wild-type allele of the IGF-I promoter polymorphism is associated with increased levels of fasting serum triglyceride in glucose-tolerant whites.

Variants within the calpain-10 gene on chromosome 2q37 (NIDDM1) and relationships to type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and impaired acute insulin secretion among Scandinavian Caucasians.

Variations in the calpain-10 gene (CAPN10) have been identified among Mexican-Americans, and an at-risk haplotype combination (112/121) defined by three polymorphisms, UCSNP-43, -19, and -63, confers increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Here we examine the three polymorphisms in 1,594 Scandinavian subjects, including 409 type 2 diabetic patients, 200 glucose-tolerant control subjects, 322 young healthy subjects, 206 glucose-tolerant offspring of diabetic patients, and 457 glucose-tolerant 70-year-old men. The frequency of the 112/121 combination was not significantly different in 409 type 2 diabetic subjects compared with 200 glucose-tolerant control subjects (0.06 vs. 0.05; odds ratio 1.32 [95% CI 0.58-3.30]). In glucose-tolerant subjects, neither the single-nucleotide polymorphisms individually nor the 112/121 combination were associated with alterations in plasma glucose, serum insulin, or serum C-peptide levels at fasting or during an oral glucose tolerance test, estimates of insulin sensitivity, or glucose-induced insulin secretion. In conclusion, the frequency of the 112/121 at-risk haplotype of CAPN10 is low among Scandinavians and we were unable to demonstrate significant associations between the CAPN10 variants and type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, or impaired insulin secretion.

Comment: studies of the Pro12Ala polymorphism of the PPAR-gamma gene in the Danish MONICA cohort: homozygosity of the Ala allele confers a decreased risk of the insulin resistance syndrome.

The Pro12Ala polymorphism of PPAR-gamma 2 has been shown to influence insulin sensitivity and the risk of type 2 diabetes in various ethnic populations. We examined whether the polymorphism was related to the insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) among nondiabetic Danish subjects. The Pro12Ala variant was examined using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism in a phenotypically well characterized population-based sample of 2245 nondiabetic subjects. The study participants were characterized by a number of anthropometric and biochemical measurements and the European Group for the Study of Insulin Resistance criteria enabling a classification of the study population in an IRS group and a non-IRS group. The allelic frequency of the Pro12Ala polymorphism in the total study sample was 14% (95% confidence interval, 13-15%). Two hundred ninety-four subjects fulfilled the European Group for the Study of Insulin Resistance criteria defining the IRS. The frequency of the Ala allele was 12.6% in the IRS group and 14.2% among subjects classified as not having the IRS (P = 0.15). However, the frequency of the variant in the homozygous form was significantly lower in the IRS group [0.7% (0-1.6%)] compared with the frequency in the non-IRS group [2.8% (2.1-3.5%); P = 0.02; odds ratio, 0.24 (0.06-0.99)]. Moreover, in the total study population, homozygous carriers of the variant had lower levels of fasting serum triglyceride [1.1 +/- 0.4 mmol/liter (means +/- SD) vs. 1.4 +/- 0.9 mmol/liter; P = 0.04] and a lower diastolic blood pressure (79 +/- 8 mm Hg vs. 82 +/- 11 mm Hg; P = 0.01) compared with wild-type carriers. The same tendency was observed with regard to the homeostasis model assessment estimate of insulin resistance (P = 0.16). There were no differences between genotype groups with respect to measures of body composition (BMI and waist circumference). In conclusion, homozygosity of the codon 12 variant of PPAR-gamma 2 confers a reduced risk of the IRS among Danish Caucasian subjects.

[Maturity-onset diabetes of the young--MODY. Molecular-genetic, pathophysiological and clinical characteristics]. / Maturity-onset diabetes of the young--MODY. Molekylaergenetiske, patofysiologiske og kliniske karakteristika.

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous subtype of type 2 diabetes characterised by an early onset, an autosomal dominant inheritance, and a primary defect in insulin secretion. MODY comprises 2-5% of cases of type 2 diabetes. So far, six MODY genes have been identified (MODY1-6): hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF-4 alpha), glucokinase, HNF-1 alpha, HNF-1 beta, insulin promoter factor 1(IPF-1), and neurogenic differentiation factor 1 (NEUROD1). MODY2 and MODY3 are the most common forms of MODY. Mutations in glucokinase/MODY2 result in a mild form of diabetes. In contrast, MODY3 and some of the other MODY forms are characterised by major insulin secretory defects and severe hyperglycaemia associated with microvascular complications. About 25% of known MODY is caused by mutations in yet unknown genes and present results suggest that other monogenic forms of type 2 diabetes might exist. The diagnosis of MODY has implications for the clinical management of the patient's diabetes. The identification of MODY genes also opens new perspectives in the understanding of the molecular basis of diabetes and may probably contribute to the definition of novel targets for drug development and gene therapy.