Epigenetics of diabetes Type 2 have shown that miRNAs have pivotal roles in many different gene regulatory pathways. A subset of miRNAs has been shown to be involved in metabolic regulation of glucose homeostasis and in epigenetics of diabetes type 2. Pancreatic islet-specific miR-375 inhibits insulin secretion in mouse pancreatic β-cells by inhibiting the expression of the protein myotrophin. An overexpression of miR-375 can completely suppress glucose-induced insulin secretion, while inhibition of native miR-375 will increase insulin secretion. In another study, increasing the level of miR-9, a different miRNA, resulted in a severe defect in glucose-stimulated insulin release. This happens because miR-9 down-regulated the transcription
Epigenetics of diabetes Type 2 that becomes diabetic falls under these categories. However, what has become clear is that there are multiple loci which increase a person’s susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes. One study examined a multitude of papers, creating a detailed list of epigenetic modifications and loci associated with Type 2 diabetes. Prominent among these, was DNA methylation, or lack thereof. After examining Type 2 diabetes patients, it was found that levels of homocysteine were exceptionally high when compared to levels in individuals without the disease. Homocysteine is an intermediate that is responsible for maintaining methylation reactions in critical metabolic processes. It can be