Indians undergoing socioeconomic and lifestyle transitions will be maximally affected by epidemic of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study of T2D in 12,535 Indians, a less explored but high-risk group. We identified a new type 2 diabetes–associated locus at 2q21, with the lead signal being rs6723108 (odds ratio 1.31; P = 3.32 × 10−9). Imputation analysis refined the signal to rs998451 (odds ratio 1.56; P = 6.3 × 10−12) within TMEM163 that encodes a probable vesicular transporter in nerve terminals. TMEM163 variants also showed association with decreased fasting plasma insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, indicating a plausible effect through impaired insulin secretion. The 2q21 region also harbors RAB3GAP1 and ACMSD; those are involved in neurologic disorders. Forty-nine of 56 previously reported signals showed consistency in direction with similar effect sizes in Indians and previous studies, and 25 of them were also associated (P < 0.05). Known loci and the newly identified 2q21 locus altogether explained 7.65% variance in the risk of T2D in Indians. Our study suggests that common susceptibility variants for T2D are largely the same across populations, but also reveals a population-specific locus and provides further insights into genetic architecture and etiology of T2D.

The small GTPase Rac and its effectors, the Pak1 and p35/Cdk5 kinases, have been assigned important roles in regulating cytoskeletal dynamics in neurons. Our previous work revealed that the neuronal p35/Cdk5 kinase associates with Pak1 in a RacGTP-dependent manner, causing hyperphosphorylation and down-regulation of Pak1 kinase activity. We have now demonstrated direct phosphorylation of Pak1 on threonine 212 by the p35/ Cdk5 kinase. In neuronal growth cones, Pak1 phosphorylated on Thr-212 localized to actin and tubulin-rich areas, suggesting a role in regulating growth cone dynamics. The expression of a non-phosphorylatable Pak1 mutant (Pak1A212) induced dramatic neurite disorganization. We also observed a strong association between p35/Cdk5 and the Pak1 C-terminal kinase domain. Overall, our data show that in neurons, membrane-associated, active Pak1 is regulated by the p35/Cdk5 kinase both by association and phosphorylation, which is essential for the proper regulation of the cytoskeleton during neurite outgrowth and remodeling.

No abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), by definition is a heterogeneous, multifactorial, polygenic syndrome which results from insulin receptor dysfunction. It is an outcome of oxidative stress caused by interactions of reactive metabolites (RMs) interactions with lipids, proteins and other mechanisms of human body. Production of RMs mainly superoxide (normalO2−) has been found in a variety of predominating cellular enzyme systems including NAD(P)H oxidase, xanthine oxidase (XO), cyclooxygenase (COX), uncoupled endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). The four main RM related molecular mechanisms are: increased polyol pathway flux; increased advanced glycation end-product (AGE) formation; activation of protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms and increased hexosamine pathway flux which have been implicated in glucose-mediated vascular damage. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), nitric oxide synthase (NOS) are antioxidant enzymes involved in scavenging RMs in normal individuals. Functional polymorphisms of these antioxidant enzymes have been reported to be involved in pathogenesis of T2DM individuals. The low levels of antioxidant enzymes or their non-functionality results in excessive RMs which initiate stress related pathways thereby leading to insulin resistance and T2DM. An attempt has been made to review the role of RMs and antioxidant enzymes in oxidative stress resulting in T2DM.