Endocrinology | New Research Findings by Prof. Ji Linong and Prof. Han Xueyao's Team Published in Diabetes Care
纪立农/韩学尧团队关于2型糖尿病新发现在权威期刊发布

2023-11-01

On October 25, 2023, a new study titled "Rare Variant in Metallothionein 1E Increases the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in a Chinese Population" by Professor Ji Linong and Professor Han Xueyao's team from the Endocrinology Department of Peking University People's Hospital (PKUPH) was published online in Diabetes Care (IF=16.2).

Professor Ji and Professor Han's team focused on the genetic mechanisms of early-onset type 2 diabetes. Through a series of genetics research, model validations, and mechanism investigations, the team identified the p.C36Y mutation of the metallothionein 1E (MT1E) as the most likely potential pathogenic gene variant.

The study suggests that MT1E could be a promising target for drug development, because forced expression of MT1E p.C36C stabilized glucose metabolism and reduced body weight, whereas MT1E p.C36Y expression had the opposite effect. These findings highlight the importance of considering the impact of rare variants in the development of new T2D treatments, providing new potential targets for future diabetes treatment.

"We are still in the preliminary stages of research and need further studies to validate our findings," said Professor Ji Linong. "But we believe that our research offers an important new perspective for understanding the pathogenesis of diabetes and developing new treatment strategies."

Zou Xiantong, Hu Mengdie, Huang Xiuting, and Zhou Lingli from the Endocrinology Department of PKUPH are the co-first authors, while Ji Linong and Han Xueyao are the corresponding authors. The research received support from China’s National Key R&D Programs (NKPs) and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation, with assistance from Ma Liping and He Xiangjun from the Central Laboratory of PKUPH.

Paper Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37878528/