Can Genes Predict Type 1 Diabetes?—Here's What Experts Say

Genetic changes related to environmental conditions contribute to the development of type 1 diabetes in children.

Highlights:

Type 1 diabetes targets insulin-producing cells in the pancreas that control blood sugar
Most type 1 diabetes cases have genetic risks influenced by environmental factors
This predicts the onset, severity of type 1 diabetes, and helps find new treatment options

Children who develop type 1 diabetes show epigenetic changes in their immune system cells before antibodies are detected in their blood, according to the findings of two new studies published in the esteemed Diabetologia and Diabetes Care journals.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a disorder in which the immune system improperly targets pancreatic cells known as β cells that produce the hormone insulin, which plays an important role in controlling blood sugar levels and the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.

This causes a range of health problems for people with type 1 diabetes, and they become dependent on insulin injections for their survival.

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‘Genetic changes controlled by environmental factors serve as markers for monitoring the onset of type 1 diabetes in children and as targets for therapeutics.’
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Previous studies have identified numerous genetic risk factors for type 1 diabetes. However, genetic risk factors cannot fully explain the occurrence of type 1 diabetes.

To explain the more risk factors of type 1 diabetes, researchers have turned to the field of epigenetics, which describes how environmental and lifestyle factors can influence the expression of genes without changing the underlying DNA sequence.

Epigenetics— The New Hope

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Two new studies led by researchers from Turku Bioscience at the University of Turku, Finland, collaborated with international partners to analyze longitudinal samples with deep sequencing covering the entire genome and with computational methods and artificial intelligence.

Children’s risk of developing type 1 diabetes is the highest in Finland. The findings of these two studies show that in addition to genetic susceptibility, environmental factors have a great significance for developing diabetes.

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The environmental factors, including viral infections, excessive hygiene, biodiversity loss, and environmental toxins, can affect the way our genes work (epigenetic changes).

“We uncovered previously unknown, early-onset epigenetic changes. They offer us new opportunities to further develop ways to identify children who have a risk of developing type 1 diabetes even before they get sick”, says Prof.Riitta Lahesmaa, director of Turku Bioscience and a group leader in the InFLAMES research flagship initiative.

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This finding also offers new hope to identify children with the genetic risk for developing type 1 diabetes at an early stage.

Earlier disease indicators are needed the most than the antibodies, to detect the risk so that medical professionals could intervene in the disease even sooner. This involves searching for biomarkers indicating type 1 diabetes, and epigenetic changes could be such a biomarker.

These observations on epigenetics are extremely important in the goal to develop methods and tools to prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes in children who are at risk of developing the disease.

Furthermore, the researchers cite studies that have yielded evidence that drugs that alter epigenetic changes could benefit patients with type 1 diabetes.

References:

Learn the Genetics of Diabetes - https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes/genetics-diabetes
Genetics and Diabetes - https://www.who.int/genomics/about/Diabetis-fin.pdf
Researcg Spotlight - What Causes Type 1 Diabetes? - https://www.diabetes.org.uk/research/research-round-up/research-spotlight/research-spotlight-what-causes-type-1-diabetes

Source-Medindia