Commentary Cellscience Reviews Vol 4 No 1 ISSN 1742-8130

SNPshots of Type 2 Diabetes Genes: From Analog to Digital Genomics

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a disease characterized by a gradual onset, most commonly preceded by states of obesity, impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance eventually leading to an insufficient production of insulin. With a prevalence of over 12 million people in the United States, and another 5 million individuals at risk there is considerable interest in identifying the genetic determinants of T2D. The Diabetes Genetics Initiative (DGI) group has recently uncovered new genetic loci potentially involved in this disease using the approach of whole-genome association. These analyses make use of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping panels which provide nearly complete coverage of genetic variations in the human genome. The DGI report is ground-breaking because of the genetic approaches used, the collaborative nature of the investigators, and the findings of novel loci.

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