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Original Studies |
Departmento de Medicina y Unidad de Genética de la Nutrición del Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (M.L.O.-S., S.R.-J., A.D.-L., J.R.M.-F., M.T.T.-L.); Departamento de Endocrinología y Metabolismo de Lípidos del Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición (C.A.A.-S., E.R.-R., M.A.T., M.L.V.-P., E.G.-G., F.G.-P., J.R.); and Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (M.A.), Mexico City 14000, Mexico
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Carlos Alberto Aguilar-Salinas, M.D., or Ma. Teresa Tusié-Luna, M.D., Ph.D., Vasco de Quiroga 15, Mexico City 14000, Mexico. E-mail: caas{at}aztlan.innsz.mx
| Abstract |
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(HNF-4
) gene
(Asp126
His/Tyr and Arg154
Gln,
respectively) and one carrying a nonsense mutation in exon 7 of the
HNF-1
gene (Gln486
stop codon); 7.5% had positive
titers for glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies. Thirty-five
percent of cases had insulin resistance; these subjects had the lipid
abnormalities seen in the metabolic syndrome. A defect in insulin
secretion is the hallmark in Mexican diabetic patients diagnosed
between 20 and 40 yr of age. Mutations in either the HNF-1
or the
HNF-4
genes are present among the individuals who develop
early-onset diabetes in our population. These particular sequence
changes have not been previously reported and therefore represent
putative new mutations. Even in the absence of endogenous
hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance is associated with an adverse
lipid profile. | Introduction |
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Mutations in the genes encoding hepatocyte nuclear
factor-4
(HNF-4
) (5), glucokinase
(6), HNF-1
(7), insulin promoter factor-1
(8), and HNF-1ß (9) are linked to MODY.
Clinical heterogeneity is well established among MODY patients. Those
with mutations in the glucokinase gene (MODY 2) present a mild
hyperglycemia, good glycemic control without the need for insulin, and
rare or null appearance of vascular complications (10). In
contrast, patients carrying mutations in the HNF-4
or the HNF-1
genes (MODY 1 and MODY 3, respectively) exhibit severe fasting
hyperglycemia, a high percentage of insulin requirement, and a frequent
occurrence of microvascular complications (11, 12).
Different studies suggest that the prevalence of mutations in these
genes differs considerably among various ethnic groups (13, 14).
Very few papers had focused their attention on characterization of the metabolic and genetic abnormalities observed in patients with type 2 diabetes diagnosed at age 2040 yr. We believe that early-onset type 2 diabetes would be a useful model to study the metabolic consequences of the interaction of several degrees of insulin resistance and insulin deficiency in a group of subjects in whom the confounding effect of different ages is not present. The purpose of this study is to describe the metabolic and genetic abnormalities found in a group of type 2 diabetic patients diagnosed at age 2040 yr.
| Subjects and Methods |
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Forty diabetic patients diagnosed between 20 and 40 yr of age were included in the study. They were recruited from the out-patient clinic of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism of the Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición Salvador Zubirán in Mexico City. Patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes were also included as controls (20 in each group). All cases were found among the patients who attended the clinic during a 3-month period. Diabetes was classified according the National Diabetes Data Group criteria (15). Exclusion criteria included plasma creatinine more than 265 µmol/L, nephrotic syndrome, or the presence of any acute disorder during the 4 weeks previous to the evaluation. Informed consent was obtained from all participants through their attending physicians.
Metabolic studies
The evaluation included the measurement, after a 12-h fasting, of glucose, creatinine, uric acid, blood count, hemoglobin A1c, thyroid and hepatic function tests, C peptide, anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody titers, lipid profile, apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1), apoB, apo(a), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and low density lipoprotein (LDL) subclasses and Lp(a) concentrations in every individual. In addition, an insulin-modified iv glucose tolerance test was performed only in the early-onset type 2 group (16). Three blood samples were obtained, at -10, -5, and 0 min, for basal serum glucose and insulin determinations. The mean values for the three samples were taken as basal levels. Thereafter, 0.3 g/kg glucose (50 mL 50% dextrose water) were infused over a 1-min period, followed by iv insulin (0.05 U/kg) dissolved in 30 mL 0.9% normal saline 19 min later, over a 1-min period. Twelve blood samples were obtained at frequent intervals for serum glucose and insulin levels. Samples were centrifuged at 4 C, and the sera were frozen and stored at -20 C until assayed. The insulin sensitivity index (SI; x10-4 min/µU·mL) and the acute insulin response (AIRg; microunits per mL/min) were estimated using the minimal model software program described by Bergman (17).
Genetic studies
For mutation screening, total genomic DNAs were extracted from
whole blood as previously described (18). PCR-single
strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis was performed to
screen for the presence of possible mutations within the exons and the
intron-exon junctions of the glucokinase, HNF-4
, or HNF-1
genes.
The search was focused on those exons with the highest prevalence of
mutations reported for each of these genes (19). The
primer sequences and the annealing temperature for each of the analyzed
exons are shown in Table 2
. PCR amplifications were performed in the
presence of [
-32P]CTP. For the SSCP analysis
the PCR products were denatured at 95 C in a solution containing 95%
formamide and run in 6% acrylamide gels in the presence or absence of
10% glycerol at 28 watts for 1224 h as previously described
(20, 21). To determine whether a change in migration
corresponded to a possible mutation or represented a sequence
polymorphism, a group of 110 healthy individuals was analyzed in
parallel. In the SSCP analysis a PCR fragment containing a putative
mutation will display a migration pattern not observed among the
control individuals. Those fragments with an anomalous migration
pattern were further analyzed by direct sequencing by either automatic
or manual methods. For manual sequencing the Sequenase version 2.0 kit
was used. Automated sequencing was performed using an Applied Biosystem
310 sequencer from Perkin-Elmer Corp. (Foster City, CA),
according to the manufacturers specifications.
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The laboratory of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism of the Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición performed all lipid and clinical laboratory measurements using standardized procedures. This laboratory is certified for standardization of the tests by the External Comparative Evaluation of Laboratories Program of the College of American Pathologist. Blood samples were taken after an overnight fast (912 h). All laboratory analysis was performed with commercially available standardized methods. Glucose was measured using the glucose oxidase method. Hemoglobin A1c using latex immunoagglutination inhibition (Bayer Corp., Tarrytown, NY). Total serum cholesterol and triglycerides were measured using an enzymatic method [SERA-PAK; coefficient of variation, 3.3%). HDL cholesterol was precipitated with fosfotungstic acid and Mg2+ (coefficient of variation, 2.5%). The LDL cholesterol concentration was estimated using the Friedewald formula. Direct LDL cholesterol was determined by ultracentrifugation (ß quantification) at baseline and at the end of the treatment and in every patient in which triglyceride levels were above 400 mg/dL. The apoB concentration was measured by an immunonephelometric method. Insulin concentrations were estimated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. C Peptide levels were measured by a RIA procedure. LDL subclass isolation was performed using a density gradient ultracentrifugation method using a Beckman Coulter, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA), SW40 Ti rotor (22). The cholesterol concentration of the HDL subfractions were measured using a double precipitation assay. The GAD antibody titers were measured using a ELISA method.
Statistical analysis
Results are expressed as the mean ± SD. Differences between groups were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Statistical analysis was performed with the Stata, statistics/data analysis version 5.0. All testing was two sided and conducted at a 5% level of significance.
| Results |
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Insulin secretion was assessed measuring the fasting C peptide
concentrations and the acute insulin response during the minimal model
(AIRg). As shown in Table 1
, the fasting C peptide concentrations of
the early-onset type 2 groups were different from the type 1 and 2
patients. Their C peptide levels were intermediate between the other
two groups. In the early-onset type 2 group, all cases had either low
(72%) or inappropriately normal (28%) concentration (reference range,
0.121.2 nmol/L). The insulin secretory defect observed in this group
was confirmed during the insulin-modified iv glucose tolerance
test. The mean AIRg was 67.5 ± 44.2 µU/mL. An AIRg lower than
100 µU/mL, a cut-off point used for severe insulin deficiency
(23), was found in 34 of the 40 cases.
Insulin sensitivity was measured using the sensitivity index (SI) obtained during the insulin-modified iv glucose tolerance test. The mean SI of the early-onset type 2 group was 3.73 ± 2 (normal range, 46) (24, 25). Thirteen patients (32.5%) had a SI below 4; these cases were classified as insulin resistant.
GAD antibodies
Three cases (7.5%) had positive titers for GAD antibodies in the early-onset type 2 group. All GAD-positive subjects had a C peptide below 0.12 pmol/mL, an AIRg below 100, and a SI above 3. Their BMI was 23.5 ± 4.2 kg/m2; insulin treatment was required in all three cases (as a mean, 3.1 ± 4 yr after the diagnosis).
Search for HNF-1
and -4
and glucokinase mutations
In the early-onset type 2 diabetes group, we identified two
individuals carrying missense mutations in exon 4 of the HNF-4
gene
(Asp126
His/Tyr and
Arg154
Gln, respectively) and one carrying a
nonsense mutation in exon 7 of the HNF-1
gene
(Gln486
stop codon). Segregation analysis of
possible mutations in HNF-1
and HNF-4
could not be performed in
any case, because family members were not available.
The biochemical and clinical profiles of patients with detected
mutations are shown in Table 3
. Two of
these patients have very low plasma C peptide concentration, all three
required insulin within the first 5 yr from diagnosis and have a normal
lipid profile. None of them is obese. These patients displayed chronic
diabetic complications. Patient 1, carrying the nonsense mutation at
the codon 486 of the HNF-1
gene, presented ketoacidosis at the time
of diagnosis and developed nonproliferative retinopathy as has been
described for patients carrying mutations in the MODY3 gene
(11) (12). It is interesting that patient 3
who has a double substitution in codon 126 Asp
His/Tyr in the
HNF-4
gene developed neuropathy 2 yr after diagnosis, suggesting a
more aggressive form of diabetes compared with the other two patients
with detected mutations who presented complications 1015 yr after the
onset of the disease. Through clinical questioning, the familial
history of diabetes of these three patients was investigated. Two of
the individuals belonged to pedigrees compatible with an autosomal
dominant inheritance (patients 1 and 2 from Table 3
; Fig. 1
), suggesting that they represent MODY
patients. In contrast, the pedigree for patient 3 does not present a
clear dominant pattern of inheritance, and in addition, this patient
carries positive anti-GAD antibodies and presents a clinical history of
Graves disease. None of the sequence changes we identified have been
previously reported in other populations and therefore represent
putative new mutations.
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The plasma lipid profile of the early-onset type 2 group was different from the type 2 patients. They had significantly lower plasma triglycerides and higher HDL cholesterol levels. No statistical differences were found against the type 1 patients.
Impact of insulin resistance on clinical parameters in the early-onset type 2 group
The presence of insulin resistance had a significant impact
on the lipid profile and blood pressure. As shown in Table 4
, cases with a SI below 4 had
significantly higher concentrations of plasma trigylcerides and LDL
cholesterol; the predominance among the LDL particles of the smaller
and denser LDL subclasses were also more common in these subjects. The
insulin-resistant cases also had lower levels of HDL and HDL3
cholesterol and lipoprotein(a). A striking difference was observed in
the prevalence of arterial hypertension between the insulin-sensitive
(0%) and insulin-resistant (30%) subjects. The mean systolic blood
pressure was significantly higher in the insulin-resistant group.
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| Discussion |
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genes have been reported
(29, 30). Our main purpose was to describe some of the
genetic and metabolic characteristics observed in Mexican patients with
type 2 diabetes diagnosed between ages 20 and 40 yr.
Insulin resistance has been implicated as one of the main determinants
of type 2 diabetes, especially in Mexican Americans. However, several
groups have previously reported that even in subjects older than 40 yr,
some patients with type 2 diabetes are not insulin resistant
(31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36). The proportion was lower than 10% in every
ethnic group (including Mexican Americans) analyzed in the Insulin
Resistance Atherosclerosis Study project (31). Even in
nonobese subjects (BMI, <30 kg/m2) the
proportion of insulin-sensitive cases was low (3.69.7%). A greater
proportion (
40%) of insulin-sensitive cases was reported by Banerji
(32) and Chaiken (33). Those who were insulin
sensitive had lower BMI, less intraabdominal fat (34), and
fewer cardiovascular risk factors. In the early-onset cases here
reported, a striking feature was a deficient insulin secretion and a
near-normal insulin sensitivity. Eighty-five percent of them had severe
insulin deficiency during the insulin-modified iv glucose tolerance
test. This finding is in accordance with other reports in young type 2
diabetics (28). The absence of insulin resistance in a
large proportion of the cases and the demonstration of insulin
deficiency in almost every case suggest that insulin deficiency is the
main abnormality responsible for the premature presentation of diabetes
in this group. There seems to be multiple causes of the insulin
deficiency. The presence of markers of autoimmune destruction of the
ß-cells was observed in 7.5% of the cases. Also, mutations in the
HNF-1
and HNF-4
genes were identified among our group of
patients. Two of the subjects with detected mutations are likely to
represent MODY individuals, suggesting that this monogenic type of
diabetes is present in at least 3% of the early-onset cases in our
population. However, in the vast majority of the cases, the reason for
the severe insulin deficiency was not identified. It is possible that
mutations exist within the exons and/or introns of the HNF-1
,
HNF-4
, or glucokinase genes, which were not analyzed in the present
study. Also, it might be possible that the other known MODY genes
(insulin promoter factor-1 and HNF-1ß) as well as other as yet
unidentified genes contribute to the expression of early-onset diabetes
in our population. The absence of mutations within the exons analyzed
for the glucokinase gene is consistent with a previous study in which
glucokinase mutations were not found among 22 Mexican families
displaying early-onset type 2 diabetes, including MODY families in
which the analysis included the entire gene (37). HNF-1
mutations have been identified in subjects with early-onset type 2
diabetes in different populations. However, the frequency of such
mutations varies widely among ethnic groups. They were found in 9 of 25
unrelated early-onset diabetics from Germany (13). In
contrast, mutations were present in less than 5% of the early-onset
type 2 patients in Northern Europe, and none was found in the Japanese
population (13, 38, 39). In the report by Lehto and
co-workers (13), they studied a population of 155
unrelated individuals with early-onset diabetes. Among this group, they
found 12 different MODY mutations (2 in the HNF4, 4 in glucokinase, and
6 in the HNF-1 genes), corresponding to a prevalence of around 13.8%
of MODY cases. Additionally, in about 40% of their families with a
transmission pattern compatible with autosomal dominant, none of the
MODY genes seemed to be responsible, implying the involvement of
different genes in a high proportion of the families. It is interesting
that in our study every patient displayed insulin deficiency regardless
of the low proportion of them with positive anti-GAD antibodies or
HNF-1 and HNF-4 mutations, supporting the participation of additional
MODY genes in this and other populations.
The presence of insulin resistance was observed in 35% of the early-onset type 2 group. This finding is in accordance with the results obtained by Doria et al. (4), who reported the presence of insulin resistance in early-onset patients type 2 patients. No differences were found between insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant cases regarding glycemic control, BMI, or insulin dosage. The presence of insulin resistance had a significant impact on the lipid profile and the blood pressure. The insulin-resistant cases showed many of the lipid abnormalities described in the metabolic syndrome (40). They had significantly higher concentrations of plasma trigylcerides and LDL cholesterol; the predominance among the LDL particles of the smaller and denser LDL subclasses were also more common in these subjects. The insulin-resistant cases also had lower levels of HDL and HDL3 cholesterol and lipoprotein(a). These observations are similar to those reported by Haffner and co-workers (41, 42). They demonstrated that insulin-resistant prediabetic and type 2 diabetic patients had more cardiovascular risk factors than their insulin-sensitive control peers. Controversy exists regarding the role of hyperinsulinemia in the pathophysiology of the lipid abnormalities of the metabolic syndrome (43). These observations demonstrate that even in the absence of endogenous hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance is associated with an adverse lipid profile. Our data also confirm that a low level of lipoprotein(a) is a feature of the insulin-resistant syndrome, as previously reported by Rainwater and co-workers (44). This effect is independent of the apo(a) genotype. We believe that early-onset type 2 diabetes could be an adequate model for the study of the diabetes-related lipoprotein abnormalities. The presence or absence of insulin resistance in a group of lean insulinopenic subjects and a narrow range of age are characteristics desirable for isolating the effects of insulin resistance on different metabolic parameters.
We identified a patient with an apparent type 1 diabetes carrying a
double substitution in codon 126 of the HNF-4
gene
(Asp126
His/Tyr). Although mutations in the
HNF-1
gene have been described for type 1 diabetics in the Japanese
and Caucasian populations and in one Mexican-American patient
(45, 46, 47), this is the first report of putative mutations
in the HNF-4
gene in a patient carrying ß-cell autoimmunity
markers. The double substitution found in this patient deserves further
analysis, as neither the mother of the proband nor any of her
siblings are diabetic, suggesting that one of the substitutions may not
be diabetogenic. Functional studies of independent mutants
(Asp126
His and
Asp126
Tyr) will be necessary to
determine the roles of these changes in the expression of diabetes in
this patient. Previously reported mutations and the new putative
mutations identified in exon 4 are shown in Fig. 2
.
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| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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Received April 25, 2000.
Revised August 10, 2000.
Accepted October 2, 2000.
| References |
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