News release

From: PLOS

Genetic study in Indians finds new pathways involved in cardiometabolic disease

Study of 3,000 Punjabi Sikhs may yield new targets for treating Type 2 diabetes and other disorders

A study conducted in an Indian population has identified new molecular pathways that contribute to cardiovascular disease, which had not been reported previously in studies of Europeans. Dharambir Sanghera of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, U.S., led the new study, which was published April 23rd in the open access journal PLOS Medicine.

Worldwide, rates of cardiometabolic disease, which includes obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, are on the rise, and South Asian people living abroad appear to be especially susceptible. Previous studies have looked for genes that influence the levels of various breakdown products of lipids in the blood and their connection to different diseases, but most of this research has been conducted in people of European ancestry.

In the new study, researchers looked at how genetics influenced the levels of 516 lipid metabolites in the blood of 3,000 Punjabi Sikh individuals, in an effort to better understand how these genetic pathways contribute to disease in different ethnic groups. They compared their findings to previous results from more than 1 million Europeans and 15,000 individuals with Indian ancestry. The team identified new genetic pathways that link specific lipid metabolites to disease. Notably, they confirmed that one metabolite, LPC O-16:0, which is known to be involved with immune cell signaling and inflammation, influences Type 2 diabetes risk. They also identified a genetic variant that may protect Indians from developing heart disease by modulating levels of the metabolite PC 38:4.

These findings offer new insights into the diverse molecular origins of cardiometabolic disease and provide potential pathways to be explored for designing innovative therapies. The researchers conclude that including more non-European participants in this type of research would help in identifying distinct disease subtypes linked to different genetic pathways. These advances would likely be beneficial in clinical practice by enabling more personalized therapies and preventive strategies for people from different backgrounds.

The authors add, “This study reveals new genetic pathways and lipid markers that contribute to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, specifically emphasizing how immune system signaling affects metabolic health. By identifying unique genetic signatures in Asian Indians, the research advocates for ancestry-specific medical approaches to address chronic immuno-vascular conditions in cardiometabolic disease.”