Topic Highlight
Copyright ©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Apr 15, 2014; 5(2): 97-114
Published online Apr 15, 2014. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v5.i2.97
Expression quantitative trait analyses to identify causal genetic variants for type 2 diabetes susceptibility
Swapan Kumar Das, Neeraj Kumar Sharma
Swapan Kumar Das, Neeraj Kumar Sharma, Section on Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
Author contributions: Das SK performed the literature review, integrated key scientific concepts, and wrote the paper; Sharma NK performed the literature and data mining and reviewed the manuscript.
Supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH/NIDDK), Nos. R01 DK090111 and DK039311
Correspondence to: Swapan K Das, PhD, Section on Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, NRC Building # E159, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States. sdas@wakehealth.edu
Telephone: +1-336-7136057 Fax: +1-336-7137200
Received: November 27, 2013
Revised: February 21, 2014
Accepted: March 13, 2014
Published online: April 15, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: Identification of genetic variants that modulate the susceptibility to disease and elucidating their function at the molecular level is a major focus of type 2 diabetes (T2D) research. This article highlights the utility of expression quantitative trait analysis in discovering regulatory variants that increase susceptibility to T2D by modulating the expression of transcripts in tissues important for glucose homeostasis.