Cholesterol

The scientists, approach, known as a "genome-wide association study", involves scanning thousands of individuals, genomes for single letter changes, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Due to the block-like nature of the human genome, certain SNPs can serve as signposts, highlighting pieces of nearby DNA that may play a causal role in disease.

Using this approach, the DGI team and their collaborators identified and confirmed three novel regions of the genome that influence the risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as a genomic region that is linked with blood triglyceride levels.

Perhaps the most intriguing result involves a DNA region that lies far from any known annotated genes.

Such genomic "outsiders" would have been incredibly difficult to find by traditional hypothesis-driven approaches.

The other regions linked to diabetes lie near genes with known biochemical functions, but ones never before connected to the disease.

Interestingly, the region implicated in triglyceride levels involves a gene that has long been known to play a role in modulating blood glucose.

"This collaboration brings together biologists, geneticists, statisticians and physicians.

This interdisciplinary team approach may be the best way to understand complex disorders and quickly turn that to therapeutic advantage," sa...

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