Master regulator gene linked to diabetes and high cholesterol
Many patients who have type 2 diabetes can improve their symptoms when they buy Actos or other established medications to help them control their blood sugar.
Many patients who have type 2 diabetes can improve their symptoms when they buy Actos or other established medications to help them control their blood sugar. The disease has been linked to a gene that may also be associated with cholesterol levels, according to a recent study from King's College London and the University of Oxford.
In their paper, which appears in the journal Nature Genetics, researchers suggested that the KLF14 gene acts as a master regulator, meaning that it controls a multitude of other genes regardless of proximity in the genome. KLF14 appears to affect the expression of many distant genes that are found in fat tissue and may control body mass index, insulin sensitivity and glucose levels.
"This is the first major study that shows how small changes in one master regulator gene can cause a cascade of other metabolic effects in other genes," said lead author Tim Spector. "This has great therapeutic potential."
He added that studying large populations of patients may turn up more of these master regulators, allowing scientists to gain a better understanding of how they work and how they may affect common chronic diseases like diabetes.
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