Epigenetics of diabetes Type 2 Since Type 2 diabetes is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia as a result of impaired pancreatic beta cell function and insulin resistance in peripheral tissues, it was thought that the gene might be downregulated in type 2 diabetes patients through DNA methylation. The defects in pancreatic beta cell function and insulin resistance in peripheral tissues were thought to be the result of impaired ATP production from reduced oxidative phosphorylation. It was found that the mRNA expression of PPARGC1A was markedly reduced in pancreatic islets from type 2 diabetic donors compared with that of non-diabetic donors. Using bisulfite testing, it was also
Epigenetics of diabetes Type 2 associated FTO gene, which has shown to increase susceptibility to both obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. When looked at further, it was shown to have increased methylation levels in a haplotype associated with Type 2 Diabetes. To find exactly which portion of the gene led to the higher levels of risk, one group of researchers performed a sliding window analysis. Using the information, they narrowed the search down to the 46 kb linkage disequilibrium block, and within that region found a 7.7 kb region in which methylation levels were abnormally high. Pyrosequencing found that this difference was due to single