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Carboxyl-ester lipase (CEL) maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a monogenic form of diabetes and pancreatic exocrine dysfunction due to mutations in the CEL gene encoding CEL. The pathogenic mechanism for diabetes development is unknown. Since CEL is expressed mainly in pancreatic acinar cells, we asked whether we could find structural pancreatic changes in CEL-MODY subjects during the course of diabetes development. Furthermore, we hypothesized that the diseased pancreas releases proteins that are detectable in pancreatic fluid and potentially reflect activation or inactivation of disease-specific pathways. We therefore investigated nondiabetic and diabetic CEL-mutation carriers by pancreatic imaging studies and secretin-stimulated duodenal juice sampling. The secretin-stimulated duodenal juice was studied using cytokine assays, mass spectrometry (MS) proteomics, and multiplexed MS-based measurement of kinase activities. We identified multiple pancreatic cysts in all eight diabetic mutation carriers but not in any of the four nondiabetic mutation carriers or the six healthy controls. Furthermore, we identified upregulated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) target proteins and MAPK-driven cytokines and increased MAPK activity in the secretin-stimulated duodenal juice. These findings show that subjects with CEL-MODY develop multiple pancreatic cysts by the time they develop diabetes and that upregulated MAPK signaling in the pancreatic secretome may reflect the pathophysiological development of pancreatic cysts and diabetes. Diabetes 2014;63:259-269 | DOI: 10.2337/db13-1012, Studies of patients with maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) have provided important insight into disease mechanisms of pancreatic β-cell failure and diabetes development and also contributed to novel treatment [...]

A recent genome-wide association study identified hepatocyte nuclear factor 1-α (HNF1A) as a key regulator of fucosylation. We hypothesized that loss-of-function HNF1A mutations causal for maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) would display altered fucosylation of N-linked glycans on plasma proteins and that glycan biomarkers could improve the efficiency of a diagnosis of HNF1A-MODY. In a pilot comparison of 33 subjects with HNF1A-MODY and 41 subjects with type 2 diabetes, 15 of 29 glycan measurements differed between the two groups. The DG9-glycan index, which is the ratio of fucosylated to nonfucosylated triantennary glycans, provided optimum discrimination in the pilot study and was examined further among additional subjects with HNF1A-MODY (n = 188), glucokinase (GCK)-MODY (n = 118), hepatocyte nuclear factor 4-α (HNF4A)-MODY (n = 40), type 1 diabetes (n = 98), type 2 diabetes (n = 167), and nondiabetic controls (n = 98). The DG9-glycan index was markedly lower in HNF1A-MODY than in controls or other diabetes subtypes, offered good discrimination between HNF1A-MODY and both type 1 and type 2 diabetes (C statistic [greater than or equal to]0.90), and enabled us to detect three previously undetected HNF1A mutations in patients with diabetes. In conclusion, glycan profiles are altered substantially in HNF1A-MODY, and the DG9-glycan index has potential clinical value as a diagnostic biomarker of HNF1A dysfunction., Genome-wide association studies are providing novel insights into the genetic architecture and biological basis of many diseases, but immediate translation into clinical practice has been limited. We recently performed a [...]

OBJECTIVE--FTO is the most important polygene identified for obesity. We aimed to investigate whether a variant in FTO affects type 2 diabetes risk entirely through its effect on BMI and how FTO influences BMI across adult life span. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--Through regression models, we assessed the relationship between the FTO single nucleotide polymorphisms rs9939609, type 2 diabetes, and BMI across life span in subjects from the Norwegian population-based HUNT study using cross-sectional and longitudinal perspectives. For replication and meta-analysis, we used data from the Malm5 Diet and Cancer (MDC) and Malm5 Preventive Project (MPP) cohorts, comprising a total sample of 41,504 Scandinavians. RESULTS--The meta-analysis revealed a highly significant association for rs9939609 with both type 2 diabetes (OR 1.13; P = 4.5 x [10.sup.-8) and the risk to develop incident type 2 diabetes (OR 1.16; P = 3.2 x [10.sup.-8]). The associations remained also after correction for BMI and other anthropometric measures. Furthermore, we confirmed the strong effect on BMI (0.28 kg/[m.sup.2] per risk allele; P = 2.0 x [10.sup.-26]), with no heterogeneity between different age-groups. We found no differences in change of BMI over time according to rs9939609 risk alleles, neither overall (ΔBMI = 0.0 [-0.05, 0.05]) nor in any individual age stratum, indicating no further weight gain attributable to FTO genotype in adults. CONCLUSIONS--We have identified that a variant in FTO alters type 2 diabetes risk partly independent of its observed effect on BMI. The additional weight gain as a result of the FTO risk variant seems to occur before adulthood, and the BMI difference remains stable thereafter. Diabetes 60:1637-1644, 2011, Genomewide association studies (GWAS) have identified a strong correlation between BMI and FTO single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (1-4), and the association has been confirmed in multiple populations (reviewed in 5). [...]

OBJECTIVE--Mutations in the HNF1A gene are the most common cause of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY). There is a substantial variation in the age at diabetes diagnosis, even within families where diabetes is caused by the same mutation. We investigated the hypothesis that common polygenic variants that predispose to type 2 diabetes might account for the difference in age at diagnosis. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--Fifteen robustly associated type 2 diabetes variants were successfully genotyped in 410 individuals from 203 HNF1A-MODY families, from two study centers in the U.K. and Norway. We assessed their effect on the age at diagnosis both individually and in a combined genetic score by summing the number of type 2 diabetes risk alleles carried by each patient. RESULTS--We confirmed the effects of environmental and genetic factors known to modify the age at HNF1A-MODY diagnosis, namely intrauterine hyperglycemia (-5.1 years ff present, P = 1.6 x [10.sup.-10]) and HNF1A mutation position (-5.2 years if at least two isoforms affected, P = 1.8 x [10.sup.-2]). Additionally, our data showed strong effects of sex (females diagnosed 3.0 years earlier, P = 6.0 x [10.sup.-4]) and age at study (0.3 years later diagnosis per year increase in age, P = 4.7 x [10.sup.-38]). There were no strong individual single nucleotide polymorphism effects; however, in the combined genetic score model, each additional risk allele was associated with 0.35 years earlier diabetes diagnosis (P = 5.1 x [10.sup.-3]). CONCLUSIONS--We show that type 2 diabetes risk variants of modest effect sizes reduce the age at diagnosis in HNF1A-MODY. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that clinical characteristics of a monogenic disease can be modified by common polygenic variants., Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a young-onset, dominantly inherited noninsulin-dependent diabetes resulting from β-cell dysfunction (1). There are at least eight genetic subgroups of MODY (1,2), with most [...]

OBJECTIVE--Mutations in the alternatively spliced HNF4A gene cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY). We characterized the spatial and developmental expression patterns of HNF4A transcripts in human tissues and investigated their role as potential moderators of the MODY phenotype. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--We measured the expression of HNF4A isoforms in human adult tissues and gestationally staged fetal pancreas by isoform-specific real-time PCR. The correlation between mutation position and age of diagnosis or age-related penetrance was assessed in a cohort of 190 patients with HNF4A mutations. RESULTS--HNF4A was expressed exclusively from the P2 promoter in adult pancreas, but from 9 weeks until at least 26 weeks after conception, up to 23% of expression in fetal pancreas was of P1 origin. HNF4A4- 6 transcripts were not detected in any tissue. In whole pancreas, HNF4A9 expression was greater than in islets isolated from the endocrine pancreas (relative level 22 vs. 7%). Patients with mutations in exons 9 and 10 (absent from HNF4A3, HNF4A6, and HNF4A9 isoforms) developed diabetes later than those with mutations in exons 2-8, where all isoforms were affected (40 vs. 24 years; P = 0.029). Exon 9/10 mutations were also associated with a reduced age-related penetrance (53 vs. 10% without diabetes at age 55 years; P < 0.00001). CONCLUSIONS--We conclude that isoforms derived from the HNF4A P1 promoter are expressed in human fetal, but not adult, pancreas, and that their presence during pancreatic development may moderate the diabetic phenotype in individuals with mutations in the HNF4A gene., The HNF4A gene codes for hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-4α, which has an important role in pancreatic development and maintenance of β-cell function (1). P2 promoter region variants are associated with [...]

OBJECTIVE--Exocrine pancreas dysfunction is seen in 10-30% of patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes. We have recently identified a syndrome of diabetes and exocrine pancreas dysfunction attributable to mutations [...]

OBJECTIVE--To reevaluate the persistence and stability of previously observed differences between pediatric diabetes centers and to investigate the influence of demography, language communication problems, and changes in insulin regimens on [...]

OBJECTIVE--We have investigated age-period-cohort effects and spatial and temporal trends for the incidence of type 1 diabetes among 0- to 14-year-old children in Norway. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--We included children [...]

Both pancreatic volume reduction and lipomatosis have been observed in subjects with diabetes. The underlying molecular and pathological mechanisms are, however, poorly known, and it has been speculated that both features are secondary to diabetes. We have recently described pancreatic atrophy and lipomatosis in diabetic subjects of two Norwegian families with a novel syndrome of diabetes and exocrine pancreatic dysfunction caused by heterozygous carboxyl-ester lipase (CEL) mutations. To explore the early pathological events in this syndrome, we performed radiological examinations of the pancreas in nondiabetic mutation carriers with signs of exocrine dysfunction. In a case series study at a tertiary hospital, we evaluated 11 nondiabetic and mutation-positive children with fecal elastase deficiency and 11 age- and sex-matched control subjects using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to estimate pancreatic fat content. The pancreata of nondiabetic mutation carriers exhibited increased reflectivity on ultrasound and had MRI findings indicative of lipomatosis. Apparently, carriers of heterozygous CEL mutations accumulate fat in their pancreas before the anticipated development of diabetes. Our findings suggest that lipomatosis of the pancreas reflects early events involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes and exocrine pancreatic dysfunction syndrome. Diabetes 56: 444-449, 2007, The pancreas consists of acinar and ductal cells with the islets of Langerhans scattered within the exocrine tissue. β-Cells, which are central in the development of diabetes, constitute the major [...]

Variants in hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-4α cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young, type 1 (MODY1) and may also be risk factors for type 2 diabetes. We sequenced the HNF4A gene of 95 MODY3-negative probands from the Norwegian MODY Registry. We found three novel coding variants in exon 8 of HNF4A: G326R, T339I, and W340X. In intron 7, we noted a single nucleotide polymorphism in the binding site of a previously published primer pair, which in some cases caused allelic drop out when amplifying exon 8. We also detected two novel sequence variants of the P2 promoter region, of which P2 -192C>G showed linkage with diabetes in two families (maximal logarithm of odds score of 3.1 and 0.8, respectively). This variant and a surrounding haplotype restricted by 3.7 Mb was also found in two Danish MODY pedigrees. The age of onset was higher in the P2 -192C>G carriers (median 45 years) compared with that reported for other MODY1 individuals. We could not support a biological role of the P2 promoter variant by in vitro transfection assays. In conclusion, we have identified three novel HNF4A mutations and a 3.7-Mb haplotype, including the HNF4A P2 promoter, which was linked with diabetes. Diabetes 55:1899-1903, 2006, Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) can result from disease-causing sequence variants in any of at least six different genes that encode the glycolytic enzyme glucokinase (GCK) and five transcription [...]

Heterozygous mutations in the human Kir6.2 gene (KCNJ11), the pore-forming subunit of the ATP-sensitive [K.sup.+] channel ([K.sub.ATP] channel), cause neonatal diabetes. To date, all mutations increase whole-cell [K.sub.ATP] channel currents by reducing channel inhibition by MgATP. Here, we provide functional characterization of two mutations (F35L and F35V) at residue F35 of Kir6.2, which lies within the N[H.sub.2]-terminus. We further show that the F35V patient can be successfully transferred from insulin to sulfonylurea therapy. The patient has been off insulin for 24 months and shows improved metabolic control (mean Hb[A.sub.1c] 7.58 before and 6.18% after sulfonylurea treatment; P < 0.007). Wild-type and mutant Kir6.2 were heterologously coexpressed with SUR1 in Xenopus oocytes. Whole-cell [K.sub.ATP] channel currents through homomeric and heterozygous F35V and F35L channels were increased due to a reduced sensitivity to inhibition by MgATP. The mutation also increased the open probability ([P.sub.o]) of homomeric F35 mutant channels in the absence of ATP. These effects on [P.sub.o] and ATP sensitivity were abolished in the absence of SUR1. Our results suggest that mutations at F35 cause permanent neonatal diabetes by affecting [K.sub.ATP] channel gating and thereby, indirectly, ATP inhibition. Heterozygous F35V channels were markedly inhibited by the sulfonylurea tolbutamide, accounting for the efficacy of sulfonylurea therapy in the patient., Heterozygous mutations in KCNJ11 have been shown to be a common cause of neonatal diabetes (1,2). These mutations cause pronounced hyperglycemia, which may be either transient or permanent, and is [...]

Glucokinase functions as a glucose sensor in pancreatic β-cells and regulates hepatic glucose metabolism. A total of 83 probands were referred for a diagnostic screening of mutations in the glucokinase (GCK) gene. We found 11 different mutations (V62A, G72R, L146R, A208T, M210K, Y215X, S263P, E339G, R377C, S453L, and IVS5 + 1G>C) in 14 probands. Functional characterization of recombinant glutathionyl S-transferase-G72R glucokinase showed slightly increased activity, whereas S263P and G264S had near-normal activity. The other point mutations were inactivating. S263P showed marked thermal instability, whereas the stability of G72R and G264S differed only slightly from that of wild type. G72R and M210K did not respond to an allosteric glucokinase activator (GKA) or the hepatic glucokinase regulatory protein (GKRP). Mutation analysis of the role of glycine at position 72 by substituting E, F, K, M, S, or Q showed that G is unique since all these mutants had very low or no activity and were refractory to GKRP and GKA. Structural analysis provided plausible explanations for the drug resistance of G72R and M210K. Our study provides further evidence that protein instability in combination with loss of control by a putative endogenous activator and GKRP could be involved in the development of hyperglycemia in maturity-onset diabetes of the young, type 2. Furthermore, based on data obtained on G264S, we propose that other and still unknown mechanisms participate in the regulation of glucokinase., Glucokinase phosphorylates glucose to glucose-6-phosphate in the first step of glycolysis. Owing to its kinetic characteristics, glucokinase is capable of phosphorylating glucose over the physiological range of 3-8 mmol/l. Unique [...]

Permanent neonatal diabetes (PND) can be caused by mutations in the transcription factors insulin promoter factor (IPF)-1, eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2α kinase 3 (EIF2AK3), and forkhead box-P3 and in key components of insulin secretion: glucokinase (GCK) and the ATP-sensitive [K.sup.+] channel subunit Kir6.2. We sequenced the gene encoding Kir6.2 (KCNJ11) in 11 probands with GCK-negative PND. Heterozygous mutations were identified in seven probands, causing three novel (F35V, Y330C, and F333I) and two known (V59M and R201H) Kir6.2 amino acid substitutions. Only two probands had a family history of diabetes. Subjects with the V59M mutation had neurological features including motor delay. Three mutation carriers tested had an insulin secretory response to tolbutamide, but not to glucose or glucagon. Glibenclamide was introduced in increasing doses to investigate whether sulfonylurea could replace insulin. At a glibenclamide dose of 0.3-0.4 mg x [kg.sup.-1] x [day.sup.-1], insulin was discontinued. Blood glucose did not deteriorate, and Hb[A.sub.1c] was stable or fell during 2-6 months of follow-up. An oral glucose tolerance test performed in one subject revealed that glucose-stimulated insulin release was restored. Mutations in Kir6.2 were the most frequent cause of PND in our cohort. Apparently insulin-dependent patients with mutations in Kir6.2 may be managed on an oral sulfonylurea with sustained metabolic control rather than insulin injections, illustrating the principle of pharmacogenetics applied in diabetes treatment., Neonatal diabetes may be defined as hyperglycemia diagnosed within the first 3 months of life (1). Transient neonatal diabetes is associated with abnormalities in chromosome 6 (2), whereas the permanent [...]

Inappropriately elevated insulin secretion is the hallmark of persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia of infancy (PHHI), also denoted congenital hyperinsulinism. Causal mutations have been uncovered in genes coding for the β-cell's ATP-sensitive potassium channel and the metabolic enzymes glucokinase and glutamate dehydrogenase. In addition, one hyperinsulinemic infant was recently found to have a mutation in the gene encoding short-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCHAD), an enzyme participating in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. We have studied a consanguineous family with severe neonatal hypoglycemia due to increased insulin levels and where well-established genetic causes of hyperinsulinism had been eliminated. A genome-wide, microsatellite-based screen for homozygous chromosomal segments was performed. Those regions that were inherited in accordance with the presupposed model were searched for mutations in genes encoding metabolic enzymes. A novel, homozygous deletion mutation was found in the gene coding for the SCHAD enzyme. The mutation affected RNA splicing and was predicted to lead to a protein lacking 30 amino acids. The observations at the molecular level were confirmed by demonstrating greatly reduced SCHAD activity in the patients' fibroblasts and enhanced levels of 3-hydroxybutyryl-carnitine in their blood plasma. Urine metabolite analysis showed that SCHAD deficiency resulted in specific excretion of 3-hydroxyglutaric acid. By the genetic explanation of our family's cases of severe hypoglycemia, it is now clear that recessively inherited SCHAD deficiency can result in PHHI. This finding suggests that mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation influences insulin secretion by a hitherto unknown mechanism., In most populations, persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia of infancy (PHHI) (Mendelian Inheritance in Man [MIM] no. 601820), also referred to as neonatal or congenital hyperinsulinism, is a rare disorder. Its incidence [...]

Neonatal diabetes, insulin-requiring hyperglycemia occurring within the first month of life is often associated with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and can be either transient or permanent (1). Transient neonatal diabetes [...], Neonatal diabetes can be either permanent or transient. We have recently shown that permanent neonatal diabetes can result from complete deficiency of glucokinase activity. Here we report three new cases of glucokinase-related permanent neonatal diabetes. The probands had intrauterine growth retardation (birth weight < 1,900 g) and insulin-treated diabetes from birth (diagnosis within the first week of life). One of the subjects was homozygous for the missense mutation Ala378Val (A378V), which is an inactivating mutation with an activity index of only 0.2% of wild-type glucokinase activity. The second subject was homozygous for a mutation in the splice donor site of exert 8 (intervening sequence 8 [IVS8] + 2T → G), which is predicted to lead to the synthesis of an inactive protein. The third subject (second cousin of subject 2) was a compound heterozygote with one allele having the splice-site mutation IVS8 + 2T → G and the other the missense mutation Gly264Ser (G264S), a mutation with an activity index of 86% of normal activity. The five subjects with permanent neonatal diabetes due to glucokinase deficiency identified to date are characterized by intrauterine growth retardation, permanent insulin-requiring diabetes from the first day of life, and hyperglycemia in both parents. Autosomal recessive inheritance and enzyme deficiency are features typical for an inborn error of metabolism, which occurred in the glucose-insulin signaling pathway in these subjects. Diabetes 52: 2854-2860, 2003