Messenger RNA analysis of genes implicated in susceptibility to type 2 diabetes.

我们现在面临着2型糖尿病（T2D）的流行。这种疾病过去只在中年人中发现，现在越来越多地出现在年轻人中，因为肥胖水平上升，缺乏锻炼和其他风险因素。然而，我们开始理解为什么有些人更容易患T2D，而另一些人则不会。每个人的基因都略有不同。我们的基因都携带着大量非常微小的变化，其中一些变化可能会使携带这些变化的人更容易患糖尿病或其他疾病。在过去的十年中，我们发现了40多种使人们更容易患糖尿病的变化。我们现在面临着一个重要的任务，即找出这些变化是如何导致糖尿病的。大多数已确定的变化都发生在控制基因开启或关闭的基因区域。所有的细胞都包含所有的基因，但并不是所有的基因都在每种细胞类型中被打开。当一个基因被打开时，它会产生一个信息，告诉细胞制造一种特定的蛋白质，这可能是控制血糖或其他身体过程所必需的。大多数基因也可以产生不止一种类型的信息。这些信息的数量或性质对于保持我们的细胞健康和使我们的身体正常运转很重要。基因中的这些微小变化可能会导致基因在应该打开的时候关闭，反之亦然。它们也可能导致基因发出错误的信息，或者在错误的时间发出正确的信息。所有这些可能性都可能导致糖尿病的发展。在这项研究中，我的目标是找出与T2D相关的基因的变化是否会影响信息的数量或数量，以及这如何导致糖尿病。

We are now facing an epidemic of type 2 diabetes (T2D). This disease, which used to be found only in the middle aged, is increasingly now being seen in much younger people because of rising levels of obesity, lack of exercise and other risk factors. We are beginning to understand, however, why some people are more likely to get T2D, whilst others do not. Everybody's genes are slightly different. We all carry large numbers of very small changes in our genes and some of these changes may make people carrying them slightly more susceptible to diabetes or other diseases. Over the past decade, we have found over 40 changes that make people more likely to become diabetic. We now face an important task to find out exactly how these changes cause diabetes. Most of the changes identified have been in regions of the genes that control whether genes are switched on or switched off. All cells contain all the genes, but not all are switched on in every cell type. When a gene is switched on, it produces a message, which tells the cell to make a particular protein, which may be necessary in the control of blood sugar, or in other bodily processes. Most genes can also make more than one type of message. The amount or nature of these messages is important to keep our cells healthy and to make our bodies function. These small changes in the genes could cause genes to be switched off when they should be switched on, or vice versa. They could also cause the genes to make the wrong sort of messages, or the right messages but at the wrong time. All of these possibilities could contribute to the development of diabetes. In this study, I aim to find out whether the changes in the genes that are associated with T2D affect the amount or number of messages made, and how this could then predispose to diabetes.