Tag: Mid-Atlantic Maryland
1st Virtual Mid-Atlantic NORC Symposium
We are pleased to announce the 1st Virtual Mid-Atlantic NORC Symposium! Featuring: Sadaf Farooqi Sadaf Farooqi, FMedSci, is a Wellcome Trust Senior Research fellow in Clinical Science, Professor of Metabolism and Medicine at the University of Cambridge and a consultant physician at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, UK Date: Monday, November 9, 2020 Time: 9:00AM – 1:00PM EST Location: The program will be conducted remotely via Zoom. Please join the Mid-Atlantic Nutrition Obesity Research Center to share a day of learning and discussion with some of the brightest minds at UMB and JHU. The Symposium will begin with a Keynote presentation by … Read More »
Categories: Featured News, News Tags: Mid-Atlantic MarylandEffect of Zinc Supplementation on Insulin Secretion: Interaction Between Zinc and SLC30A8 Genotype in Old Order Amish
Abstract SLC30A8 encodes a zinc transporter in the beta cell, and individuals with a common missense variant in this gene experience a lower early insulin response to glucose and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that zinc supplementation may improve insulin secretion in a genotype-dependent manner. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the early insulin response to glucose (using frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance testing) by SLC30A8 genotype before and after 14 days of supplementation with oral zinc acetate twice daily in 55 healthy non-diabetic Amish individuals. Key Findings Individuals with the risk allele had the lowest … Read More »
Categories: Publications Tags: Mid-Atlantic MarylandAngiopoietin-Like 4 Genetic Mutations Linked to Coronary Artery Disease
Summary Elevated levels of circulating triglycerides are a risk factor for ischemic cardiovascular disease, and activation of lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that is inhibited by angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4), has been shown to reduce levels of circulating triglycerides. In this study the exons of ANGPTL4 were sequenced in nearly 43,000 subjects from the DiscovEHR human genetics study to identify missense variants, including the previously known E40K variant, and other inactivating variants. Carriers of E40K and other inactivating mutations in ANGPTL4 had 13% lower levels of triglycerides and a 19% lower risk of coronary artery disease than did noncarriers. Additional experiments revealed that … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: Mid-Atlantic MarylandDifferential Effects on β-cell Mass by Disruption of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome or Alstrom Syndrome Genes
Abstract The ciliopathies are a group of disorders caused by defects in genes associated with primary cilia. A subset of these are characterized by highly penetrant obesity, but the rates of diabetes differ significantly between them. In this study, Lodh et al. characterized the potential contribution of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells to this discrepancy. Key Findings Using zebrafish models of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS) and Alstrom Syndrome, we identified enhanced production of β-cells in BBS and a depletion of these cells in Alstrom. We found that these discrepancies were driven by differences in the genetic program underlying endocrine cell specification as well … Read More »
Categories: Publications Tags: Mid-Atlantic MarylandTAS2R Bitter Taste Receptors Regulate Thyroid Function
Abstract Dysregulation of thyroid hormones triiodothyronine and thyroxine (T3/T4) can impact metabolism, body composition, and development. Thus, it is critical to identify novel mechanisms that impact T3/T4 production. We found that type 2 taste receptors (TAS2Rs), which are activated by bitter-tasting compounds such as those found in many foods and pharmaceuticals, negatively regulate thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-dependent Ca2+ increases and TSH-dependent iodide efflux in thyrocytes. A common TAS2R42 polymorphism is associated with increased serum T4 levels in a human cohort. Key Findings Our findings indicate that TAS2Rs couple the detection of bitter-tasting compounds to changes in thyrocyte function and T3/T4 production. … Read More »
Categories: Publications Tags: Mid-Atlantic MarylandNull Mutation in Hormone-Sensitive Lipase Gene and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Abstract Lipolysis regulates energy homeostasis through the hydrolysis of intracellular triglycerides and the release of fatty acids for use as energy substrates or lipid mediators in cellular processes. Genes encoding proteins that regulate energy homeostasis through lipolysis are thus likely to play an important role in determining susceptibility to metabolic disorders. To identify genetic regulators of lipolysis, we sequenced 12 lipolytic-pathway genes in Amish subjects with extreme high or low fasting serum triglyceride levels were at the extremes of the distribution and identified a novel 19-bp frameshift deletion in exon 9 of LIPE, encoding hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), a key enzyme … Read More »
Categories: Publications Tags: Mid-Atlantic MarylandMutation in Fat-Storage Gene Appears to Increase Type 2 Diabetes Risk
Abstract A mutation in a fat-storage gene has been identified that appears to increase the risk for type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders, according to a study. Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease whose susceptibility is often determined by interactions between genetics and lifestyle factors, such as overeating and physical inactivity. Susceptibility genes for diabetes may be involved in several different metabolic pathways in the body, including storage and release of fat for energy. Read More: Science Daily Research Details Research Center: Mid-Atlantic, Maryland
Categories: News Tags: Mid-Atlantic Maryland