Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Altered blood gene expression in the obesity-related type 2 diabetes cluster may be causally involved in lipid metabolism : a Mendelian randomisation study

de Klerk, Juliette A. ; Beulens, Joline W.J. ; Mei, Hailiang ; Bijkerk, Roel ; van Zonneveld, Anton Jan ; Koivula, Robert W. LU ; Elders, Petra J.M. ; ’t Hart, Leen M. and Slieker, Roderick C. (2023) In Diabetologia 66(6). p.1057-1070
Abstract

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs in whole blood of people with type 2 diabetes across five different clusters: severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD), severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD), mild obesity-related diabetes (MOD), mild diabetes (MD) and mild diabetes with high HDL-cholesterol (MDH). This was to increase our understanding of different molecular mechanisms underlying the five putative clusters of type 2 diabetes. Methods: Participants in the Hoorn Diabetes Care System (DCS) cohort were clustered based on age, BMI, HbA1c, C-peptide and HDL-cholesterol. Whole blood RNA-seq was used to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs... (More)

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs in whole blood of people with type 2 diabetes across five different clusters: severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD), severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD), mild obesity-related diabetes (MOD), mild diabetes (MD) and mild diabetes with high HDL-cholesterol (MDH). This was to increase our understanding of different molecular mechanisms underlying the five putative clusters of type 2 diabetes. Methods: Participants in the Hoorn Diabetes Care System (DCS) cohort were clustered based on age, BMI, HbA1c, C-peptide and HDL-cholesterol. Whole blood RNA-seq was used to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in a cluster compared with all others. Differentially expressed genes were validated in the Innovative Medicines Initiative DIabetes REsearCh on patient straTification (IMI DIRECT) study. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) for differentially expressed RNAs were obtained from a publicly available dataset. To estimate the causal effects of RNAs on traits, a two-sample Mendelian randomisation analysis was performed using public genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Results: Eleven lncRNAs and 175 mRNAs were differentially expressed in the MOD cluster, the lncRNA AL354696.2 was upregulated in the SIDD cluster and GPR15 mRNA was downregulated in the MDH cluster. mRNAs and lncRNAs that were differentially expressed in the MOD cluster were correlated among each other. Six lncRNAs and 120 mRNAs validated in the IMI DIRECT study. Using two-sample Mendelian randomisation, we found 52 mRNAs to have a causal effect on anthropometric traits (n=23) and lipid metabolism traits (n=10). GPR146 showed a causal effect on plasma HDL-cholesterol levels (p = 2×10–15), without evidence for reverse causality. Conclusions/interpretation: Multiple lncRNAs and mRNAs were found to be differentially expressed among clusters and particularly in the MOD cluster. mRNAs in the MOD cluster showed a possible causal effect on anthropometric traits, lipid metabolism traits and blood cell fractions. Together, our results show that individuals in the MOD cluster show aberrant RNA expression of genes that have a suggested causal role on multiple diabetes-relevant traits.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Clusters, Lipid metabolism, Long non-coding RNA, Obesity, Two-sample Mendelian randomisation, Type 2 diabetes
in
Diabetologia
volume
66
issue
6
pages
1057 - 1070
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85148593587
  • pmid:36826505
ISSN
0012-186X
DOI
10.1007/s00125-023-05886-8
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
786e50af-449d-4930-bb12-02f4ed422de1
date added to LUP
2023-03-13 14:39:18
date last changed
2024-04-18 19:25:10
@article{786e50af-449d-4930-bb12-02f4ed422de1,
  abstract     = {{<p>Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs in whole blood of people with type 2 diabetes across five different clusters: severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD), severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD), mild obesity-related diabetes (MOD), mild diabetes (MD) and mild diabetes with high HDL-cholesterol (MDH). This was to increase our understanding of different molecular mechanisms underlying the five putative clusters of type 2 diabetes. Methods: Participants in the Hoorn Diabetes Care System (DCS) cohort were clustered based on age, BMI, HbA<sub>1c</sub>, C-peptide and HDL-cholesterol. Whole blood RNA-seq was used to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in a cluster compared with all others. Differentially expressed genes were validated in the Innovative Medicines Initiative DIabetes REsearCh on patient straTification (IMI DIRECT) study. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) for differentially expressed RNAs were obtained from a publicly available dataset. To estimate the causal effects of RNAs on traits, a two-sample Mendelian randomisation analysis was performed using public genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Results: Eleven lncRNAs and 175 mRNAs were differentially expressed in the MOD cluster, the lncRNA AL354696.2 was upregulated in the SIDD cluster and GPR15 mRNA was downregulated in the MDH cluster. mRNAs and lncRNAs that were differentially expressed in the MOD cluster were correlated among each other. Six lncRNAs and 120 mRNAs validated in the IMI DIRECT study. Using two-sample Mendelian randomisation, we found 52 mRNAs to have a causal effect on anthropometric traits (n=23) and lipid metabolism traits (n=10). GPR146 showed a causal effect on plasma HDL-cholesterol levels (p = 2×10<sup>–15</sup>), without evidence for reverse causality. Conclusions/interpretation: Multiple lncRNAs and mRNAs were found to be differentially expressed among clusters and particularly in the MOD cluster. mRNAs in the MOD cluster showed a possible causal effect on anthropometric traits, lipid metabolism traits and blood cell fractions. Together, our results show that individuals in the MOD cluster show aberrant RNA expression of genes that have a suggested causal role on multiple diabetes-relevant traits. <br/></p>}},
  author       = {{de Klerk, Juliette A. and Beulens, Joline W.J. and Mei, Hailiang and Bijkerk, Roel and van Zonneveld, Anton Jan and Koivula, Robert W. and Elders, Petra J.M. and ’t Hart, Leen M. and Slieker, Roderick C.}},
  issn         = {{0012-186X}},
  keywords     = {{Clusters; Lipid metabolism; Long non-coding RNA; Obesity; Two-sample Mendelian randomisation; Type 2 diabetes}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{1057--1070}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Diabetologia}},
  title        = {{Altered blood gene expression in the obesity-related type 2 diabetes cluster may be causally involved in lipid metabolism : a Mendelian randomisation study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00125-023-05886-8}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00125-023-05886-8}},
  volume       = {{66}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}