The inherited basis of diabetes mellitus: implications for the genetic analysis of complex traits.
Diabetes encompasses a heterogeneous group of diseases, each with a substantial genetic component. We review the division of diabetes into different subtypes based on clinical phenotype, the fruitful pursuit of genes underlying monogenic forms of the disease, the successes and drawbacks of whole-genome linkage scans in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and the recent identification of several diabetes genes by large association studies. We use the lessons learned from this extensive body of evidence to illustrate general implications for the genetic analysis of complex traits.
Florez
Jose C
JC
Diabetes Unit and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. jcflorez@partners.org
Hirschhorn
Joel
J
Altshuler
David
D
D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans