Genetic Susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes: Genomic Understanding beyond Genome-Wide Association Studies

Call for Papers

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is common complex metabolic disorder with marked hyperglycemia due to impaired glucose homeostasis. Both genetic and environmental factors and interaction of these factors play an important role in predisposition to T2D. Understanding molecular genetic aspects of T2D and related traits will aid development of efficient strategies for predicting and preventing these conditions and development of novel treatment modalities for patients with these devastating diseases. Recent advances in genomic technologies allow study of genetics of T2D and related traits with unprecedented depth. Since 2007, genome-wide association (GWA) analysis of common genetic variants has identified a large number of genetic loci and pointed out several novel mechanisms that might be involved in increasing susceptibility to T2D. However, these variants explain only a small proportion of genetic risk of T2D in most populations. Further characterization of genetic susceptibility factors and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of T2D will require implementation of novel genetic and genomic strategies.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to understand molecular genetic aspects of T2D and related traits. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Lessons from genome-wide association studies
• Animal model and in vitro studies for functional analysis of T2D loci identified by GWAS
• Strategies to understand gene-environment interaction relevant to T2D
• Advances in copy number variation and genomic structural variation analysis
• Genome-wide analysis of exonic variants, rare coding and noncoding variants
• Role of transcriptome and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) in development of T2D and related traits
• Role of epigenome in development of T2D and related traits
• Systems biology approaches in understanding T2D disease mechanisms
• Recent advances in integrating diverse high-throughput genomics datasets

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal’s Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ije/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/ije/genom/ according to the following timetable:

Lead Guest Editor

• Hemang Parikh, Laboratory of Translational Genomics, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Advanced Technology Center, 8717 Grovemont Circle, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, USA

Guest Editors

• Allan Vaag, Rigshospitalet and Copenhagen University, Copenhagen University Hospital, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
• Struan F. Grant, Division of Human Genetics, Research Institute, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Roam 1216F, 3615 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
• Swapan K. Das, Section on Endocrinology and Metabolism, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA