Type 2 Diabetes Gene Identified
ScienceDaily reports that a gene associated with type 2 (largely age-related) diabetes has been identified. "The protein that this gene makes represses the insulin response, so if you are making a lot of this protein, your ability to respond to insulin would be blunted, which would lead to higher glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream. If it is too high, that's diabetes. ... There are certainly other genes that contribute to diabetes ... This is good evidence for one." Identifying genes is an important step in modern research. Thanks to advances in bioinformatics it is becoming easier with each passing year to determine all related biochemistry for an age-related condition - if you have identified the genes to use as a starting point.
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041025131922.htm