Project Manager
Zierath, JuleenProject manager
Karolinska InstituteAmount granted
1 600 000 SEKYear
2015
Type 2 diabetes is caused by a strong resistance of the body's tissues to the hormone insulin and a reduced production of insulin by the pancreas. Both hereditary and lifestyle factors can cause insulin resistance but these factors are not yet understood. We will identify genes and proteins that contribute to the development of insulin resistance in human skeletal muscle, the largest tissue in the body, as well as mechanisms for how the genes may be affected by lifestyle factors such as exercise. By examining two different processes for how the environment and lifestyle factors/exercise can affect the genes, we can find genes that affect insulin resistance in the cells. The processes we will focus on are epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation and microRNA. By looking at all the DNA methylations that occur in insulin resistance, we can find genes that are affected. In addition, mapping all microRNA changes in insulin resistance provides additional genes that may be important for the development of type 2 diabetes. Finally, we will validate the identified genes above by examining their function on insulin sensitivity in mouse models of Type 2 diabetes. Information on which genes are affected will enable future development of new drugs as well as new dietary and exercise programs to treat and prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.