A genome-wide approach accounting for body mass index identifies genetic variants influencing fasting glycemic traits and insulin resistance

Recent genome-wide association studies have described many loci implicated in type 2 diabetes (T2D) pathophysiology and β-cell dysfunction but have contributed little to the understanding of the genetic basis of insulin resistance. We hypothesized that genes implicated in insulin resistance pathways might be uncovered by accounting for differences in body mass index (BMI) and potential interactions between BMI and genetic variants. We applied a joint meta-analysis approach to test associations with fasting insulin and glucose on a genome-wide scale. We present six previously unknown loci associated with fasting insulin at P < 5 × 10(-8) in combined discovery and follow-up analyses of 52 studies comprising up to 96,496 non-diabetic individuals. Risk variants were associated with higher triglyceride and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, suggesting a role for these loci in insulin resistance pathways. The discovery of these loci will aid further characterization of the role of insulin resistance in T2D pathophysiology.     

"数字地球"时代的我国西部可持续发展

“数字地球”作为新世纪信息时代的新目标和制高点,必将在西部大开发战略的实施过程中起到至关重要的作用。从“数字地球”的基本概念出发,应用“数字地球”的理论和技术,阐述了“数字地球”技术对西部大开发的战略意义和应用方向,为我国西部地区的可持续发展提供了新的思路和技术方法。     

On the glutamine and γ-aminobutyric acid contents of various regions of the cat brain

Résumé Les auteurs ont déterminé par la méthode de la chromatographie à deux dimensions, la teneur en glutamine et en acide -aminobutyrique des différentes parties du cerveau du chat. La concentration la plus élevée de l'acide -aminobutyrique a été trouvé dans l'hypothalamus, tandis que celle de la glutamine a été constatée dans le noyau caudé. Les concentrations les plus basses de ces deux protéines apparaissent dans la substance blanche du cerveau.     

Large-scale association analyses identify new loci influencing glycemic traits and provide insight into the underlying biological pathways

Through genome-wide association meta-analyses of up to 133,010 individuals of European ancestry without diabetes, including individuals newly genotyped using the Metabochip, we have increased the number of confirmed loci influencing glycemic traits to 53, of which 33 also increase type 2 diabetes risk (q < 0.05). Loci influencing fasting insulin concentration showed association with lipid levels and fat distribution, suggesting impact on insulin resistance. Gene-based analyses identified further biologically plausible loci, suggesting that additional loci beyond those reaching genome-wide significance are likely to represent real associations. This conclusion is supported by an excess of directionally consistent and nominally significant signals between discovery and follow-up studies. Functional analysis of these newly discovered loci will further improve our understanding of glycemic control.