City of Hope scientists have discovered a gene that plays a surprising role in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D).
The gene, called SMOC1, appears to cause certain cells in the pancreas that are normally responsible for lowering blood sugar levels to do the opposite and raise blood sugar levels instead.
These findings could open the door to new ways to treat, diagnose and possibly prevent T2D.
The research was published in Nature communication and aimed at understanding how insulin-producing cells in the pancreas disappear or stop working properly in people with diabetes.
The pancreas contains small clusters of cells known as islets. Within these islets, beta cells produce insulin, a hormone that lowers blood sugar levels, and alpha cells produce glucagon to increase blood sugar levels.
When produced properly by the pancreas, the two hormones maintain a healthy balance in the body, keeping blood sugar levels under control.
In people with type 2 diabetes, this balance is disrupted. Some beta cells begin to lose their identity.
Instead of producing insulin, they act like alpha cells and start making glucagon. This leads to higher blood sugar levels and a worsening of diabetes.
To understand why this happens, scientists analyzed individual islet cells from 26 people; half had type 2 diabetes and the other half did not.
They used a powerful technique called RNA sequencing to study how the cells change over time.
The research team discovered that some cells in healthy people were flexible and could grow into alpha or beta cells.
But in people with diabetes, this flexibility was lost. Beta cells only transition into alpha cells, never the other way around. This one-way shift helps explain why insulin levels fall while glucagon levels rise in people with T2D.
This research gives hope that new treatments, by addressing the root causes of type 2 diabetes at the genetic level, could one day help millions of people better manage or even reverse their condition.
