Scientists Uncover Genetic Damage Linked to Diabetes

Discovery of the exact genetic damage that causes a form of diabetes was reported Sunday by a large international research team.

“This is the first time there has been a clear cause-and-effect relationship” found between specific damage to a known gene and the development of the blood-sugar disorder, said Dr. Simon J. Pilkis, head of physiology and biophysics at the State University of New York at Stony Brook Health Sciences Center.

The discovery, announced in the March issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, came from studying families known to inherit a form of Type II--or non-insulin-dependent--diabetes that strikes early, around age 20. It affects an estimated 500,000 Americans, Pilkis said.

The gene responsible for the inherited form of diabetes was identified last year. Now, Pilkis said, researchers have identified almost two dozen mutations in the gene.

Discovery of the mutations, he said, means that genetic tests can be used to identify people who are susceptible to the disorder.