News in Brief Genetics

Gene variant tied to diabetes in Greenlanders

Rare allele accounts for roughly 10 percent of type 2 cases in the population

By Tina Hesman Saey

- More than 2 years ago

A rare gene variant linked to a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes has been discovered in people in Greenland. Some researchers have thought that rare genetic tweaks were unlikely to cause common diseases such as type 2 diabetes, a chronic, life-threatening disease that’s on the upswing in the United States and elsewhere.