The research was led by Nitish R. Mahapatra, professor, Department of Biotechnology and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, IIT Madras. Source : IIT Madras
An international research team led by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has identified the presence of a gene or protein variation in Indians and other South Asians that increases the risk of diabetes, heart attack and hypertension.
The multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary team of researchers found the variation present in approximately 15% of Indian and other South Asian populations. It was also found that people carrying this variant are 1.5 times more likely to have hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and coronary artery disease.
This combination could account for the higher prevalence of metabolic diseases among Indians and other South Asians.
Pancreastatin is a small part (peptide) of a protein called Chromogranin A (CHGA) found in mammals including humans. It exerts important physiological effects, mostly with respect to insulin release.
The research was led by Nitish R. Mahapatra, professor, Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, IIT Madras.
The research paper was co-authored by researchers from international research institutions, including Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, US; Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, US; University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine, US; and Indian institutions like CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow; ALM PG Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Chennai; Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh; Madras Medical College and Government General Hospital; Madras Medical Mission; Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, and National Brain Research Centre, Haryana.
“South Asians are at greater risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Besides environmental factors, our genetic architecture is believed to be responsible for this observation. However, the key genetic variants that enhance our disease risk remain poorly understood. Our study identified one key genetic risk factor for cardio-metabolic diseases. We also discovered the molecular basis for the enhanced disease risk in people who carry this mutation in their genomes,” said Nitish Mahapatra, Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, IIT Madras.