Genetics in Diabetes

Over the past decade, there has been unprecedented progress in our understanding of the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes driven largely by technological advances which have facilitated genome-wide studies. Bringing together comprehensive synopses written by leaders in the field, this book discusses the recent progress in defining the genetic basis for type 2 diabetes and related traits. The opening section focuses on the impact of genome-wide association studies on our understanding of the genetic landscape of type 2 diabetes, whilst later chapters explore how variants affecting relevant metabolic traits influence diabetes susceptibility. The impact of next-generation sequencing on gene discovery efforts in both type 2 diabetes and mendelian forms of diabetes and insulin resistance is covered in detail. Particular attention is also given to efforts to increase our understanding of sequence annotation in diabetes-relevant tissues and how this can be harnessed to leverage molecular mechanisms for genetic association signals. Finally, efforts to translate this improved knowledge into both molecular mechanisms and clinical care are discussed. Providing a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge of the genetic basis for type 2 diabetes and related traits, this book is essential reading for researchers with an interest in the etiology of diabetes and human genetics.