Diabetes & Metabolism Journal

Original Articles

Basic and Translational Research
High-Fat Diet-Fed Kcnq1 Mutant Mice Have Reduced Pancreatic β-Cell Mass via Gene-Environment Interaction: Shun-ichiro Asahara, Hiroyuki Inoue, Yuka Ihara, Kyoko Teruyama, Asuka Imai, Chisako Hara, Mizuki Hara, Masako Seike, Aisha Yokoi, Nozomi Kido, Hirotaka Suzuki, Ayumi Kanno, Yuka Inaba, Hitoshi Watanabe, Go Shioi, Maki Kimura-Koyanagi, Michihiro Matsumoto, Hiroshi Inoue, Keiichi I. Nakayama, Wataru Ogawa, Masato Kasuga, Yoshiaki Kido; Diabetes Metab J. 2026;50(1):77-89. Published online July 30, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2024.0790

1,820 View
56 Download

Abstract PDF Supplementary Material PubReader ePub: Background
The potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 1 (KCNQ1) gene has recently received much attention as a candidate susceptibility gene for type 2 diabetes mellitus, especially in Asian populations. We previously reported that Kcnq1 mutant mice exhibit reduced insulin secretion and hyperglycemia due to a decrease in pancreatic β-cell mass. Through in vivo and in vitro analyses, we ascertained that this mechanism is the result of the downregulation of the non-coding RNA ‘Kcnq1ot1,’ which is expressed in the paternal allele of the Kcnq1 gene region, causing an increase in the expression of the cell cycle inhibitor cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1C (Cdkn1c). It was found that decreased Kcnq1ot1 expression resulted in pancreatic β-cell failure; however, the degree of pancreatic β-cell volume reduction was not severe.
Methods
We induced obesity in Kcnq1ot1 truncation mice by feeding them a high-fat diet and evaluated pancreatic β-cell mass.
Results
In the present study, we reveal that CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (C/EBPβ), which is expressed at higher levels in pancreatic β-cells in obese individuals, further increases the expression of Cdkn1c, which is upregulated by the Kcnq1 gene mutation. We found that simultaneous Cdkn1c hypomethylation and C/EBPβ overexpression in pancreatic β-cells causes a synergistic decrease in pancreatic β-cell mass.
Conclusion
This finding suggests that the synergistic effect of genetic factors such as Kcnq1 gene mutations and environmental factors such as obesity and overeating, which lead to increased expression of C/EBPβ, contribute to the regulation of pancreatic β-cell mass. This study is the first to show that the Kcnq1 gene is related to pancreatic β-cell mass through genetic-environment interactions.

Metabolic Risk/Epidemiology
Sex Differences in the Effects of CDKAL1 Variants on Glycemic Control in Diabetic Patients: Findings from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study: Hye Ah Lee, Hyesook Park, Young Sun Hong; Diabetes Metab J. 2022;46(6):879-889. Published online February 8, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2021.0265

65,535 View
201 Download
2 Web of Science
2 Crossref

Abstract PDF Supplementary Material PubReader ePub

Background
Using long-term data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, we defined poor glycemic control and investigated possible risk factors, including variants related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In addition, we evaluated interaction effects among risk factors for poor glycemic control.
Methods
Among 436 subjects with newly diagnosed diabetes, poor glycemic control was defined based on glycosylated hemoglobin trajectory patterns by group-based trajectory modeling. For the variants related to T2DM, genetic risk scores (GRSs) were calculated and divided into quartiles. Risk factors for poor glycemic control were assessed using a logistic regression model.
Results
Of the subjects, 43% were in the poor-glycemic-control group. Body mass index (BMI) and triglyceride (TG) were associated with poor glycemic control. The risk for poor glycemic control increased by 11.0% per 1 kg/m² increase in BMI and by 3.0% per 10 mg/dL increase in TG. The risk for GRS with poor glycemic control was sex-dependent (P_interaction=0.07), and a relationship by GRS quartiles was found in females but not in males. Moreover, the interaction effect was found to be significant on both additive and multiplicative scales. The interaction effect was evident in the variants of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 regulatory subunit-associated protein 1-like (CDKAL1).
Conclusion
Females with risk alleles of variants in CDKAL1 associated with T2DM had a higher risk for poor glycemic control than males.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Sex‐ and age‐specific determinants of diabetes: Insights from BKMR and cox modelling of metabolic and lifestyle risk factors in a Korean cohort
Hye Ah Lee
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.2025; 27(9): 5247. CrossRef
Hepatic Cdkal1 deletion regulates HDL catabolism and promotes reverse cholesterol transport
Dan Bi An, Soo-jin Ann, Seungmin Seok, Yura Kang, Sang-Hak Lee
Atherosclerosis.2023; 375: 21. CrossRef

Review

Islet Studies and Transplantation
Regulation of Pancreatic β-Cell Mass by Gene-Environment Interaction: Shun-ichiro Asahara, Hiroyuki Inoue, Yoshiaki Kido; Diabetes Metab J. 2022;46(1):38-48. Published online January 27, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2021.0045

11,023 View
272 Download
12 Web of Science
11 Crossref

Graphical Abstract Abstract PDF PubReader ePub

The main pathogenic mechanism of diabetes consists of an increase in insulin resistance and a decrease in insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. The number of diabetic patients has been increasing dramatically worldwide, especially in Asian people whose capacity for insulin secretion is inherently lower than that of other ethnic populations. Causally, changes of environmental factors in addition to intrinsic genetic factors have been considered to have an influence on the increased prevalence of diabetes. Particular focus has been placed on “gene-environment interactions” in the development of a reduced pancreatic β-cell mass, as well as type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Changes in the intrauterine environment, such as intrauterine growth restriction, contribute to alterations of gene expression in pancreatic β-cells, ultimately resulting in the development of pancreatic β-cell failure and diabetes. As a molecular mechanism underlying the effect of the intrauterine environment, epigenetic modifications have been widely investigated. The association of diabetes susceptibility genes or dietary habits with gene-environment interactions has been reported. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of gene-environment interactions in pancreatic β-cell failure as revealed by previous reports and data from experiments.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

High-Fat Diet-Fed Kcnq1 Mutant Mice Have Reduced Pancreatic β-Cell Mass via Gene-Environment Interaction
Shun-ichiro Asahara, Hiroyuki Inoue, Yuka Ihara, Kyoko Teruyama, Asuka Imai, Chisako Hara, Mizuki Hara, Masako Seike, Aisha Yokoi, Nozomi Kido, Hirotaka Suzuki, Ayumi Kanno, Yuka Inaba, Hitoshi Watanabe, Go Shioi, Maki Kimura-Koyanagi, Michihiro Matsumoto
Diabetes & Metabolism Journal.2026; 50(1): 77. CrossRef
The usefulness of HbA1c measurement in diabetic mouse models using various devices
Koya Miyazaki, Aisha Yokoi, Hiroyuki Inoue, Hirotaka Suzuki, Nozomi Kido, Ayumi Kanno, Maki Kimura-Koyanagi, Yoshiaki Kido, Shun-ichiro Asahara
Experimental Animals.2025; 74(3): 319. CrossRef
Network pharmacology approach to the study of therapeutic role of selected phenolics on diabetic pancreatic islet cells based on multi-omics analysis
Sai Anand, Kannakazhi Kantari, Piyush Kumar, Sai Sanwid Pradhan, Ashok Agraharam
Network Modeling Analysis in Health Informatics and Bioinformatics.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Leptin Rs7799039 polymorphism is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus Egyptian patients
Amal Ahmed Mohamed, Dina M. Abo-Elmatty, Alaa S. Wahba, Omnia Ezzat Esmail, Hadeer Saied Mahmoud Salim, Wafaa Salah Mohammed Hegab, Mona Mostafa Farid Ghanem, Nadia Youssef Riad, Doaa Ghaith, Lamiaa I Daker, Shorouk Issa, Noha Hassan Radwan, Eman Sultan,
Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry.2024; 130(6): 742. CrossRef
Higher Genetic Risk for Type 2 Diabetes Is Associated With a Faster Decline of β-Cell Function in an East Asian Population
Hyunsuk Lee, Jaewon Choi, Jong-Il Kim, Richard M. Watanabe, Nam H. Cho, Kyong Soo Park, Soo Heon Kwak
Diabetes Care.2024; 47(8): 1386. CrossRef
Protein Arginine Methyltransferases: Emerging Targets in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease
Yan Zhang, Shibo Wei, Eun-Ju Jin, Yunju Jo, Chang-Myung Oh, Gyu-Un Bae, Jong-Sun Kang, Dongryeol Ryu
Diabetes & Metabolism Journal.2024; 48(4): 487. CrossRef
Recent Glycemia Is a Major Determinant of β-Cell Function in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Ji Yoon Kim, Jiyoon Lee, Sin Gon Kim, Nam Hoon Kim
Diabetes & Metabolism Journal.2024; 48(6): 1135. CrossRef
Increased risk of incident diabetes after therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitor compared with conventional chemotherapy: A longitudinal trajectory analysis using a tertiary care hospital database
Minyoung Lee, Kyeongseob Jeong, Yu Rang Park, Yumie Rhee
Metabolism.2023; 138: 155311. CrossRef
The ameliorating effects of mesenchymal stem cells compared to α‐tocopherol on apoptosis and autophagy in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats: Implication of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and entero‐insular axis
Heba A. Mubarak, Manal M. Kamal, Yossra Mahmoud, Fatma S. Abd‐Elsamea, Eman Abdelbary, Marwa G. Gamea, Reham I. El‐Mahdy
Journal of Cellular Biochemistry.2023; 124(11): 1705. CrossRef
Association of Polygenic Variants with Type 2 Diabetes Risk and Their Interaction with Lifestyles in Asians
Haeng Jeon Hur, Hye Jeong Yang, Min Jung Kim, Kyun-Hee Lee, Myung-Sunny Kim, Sunmin Park
Nutrients.2022; 14(15): 3222. CrossRef
Chemical Compounds and Ambient Factors Affecting Pancreatic Alpha-Cells Mass and Function: What Evidence?
Gaia Chiara Mannino, Elettra Mancuso, Stefano Sbrignadello, Micaela Morettini, Francesco Andreozzi, Andrea Tura
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2022; 19(24): 16489. CrossRef

First
Prev
Page of 1
Next
Last

Search