Diabetes & metabolism
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Diabetes & metabolism · Sep 2016
A common variation of the PTEN gene is associated with peripheral insulin resistance.
Phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) reduces insulin sensitivity by inhibiting the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homologue (Akt) pathway. This study investigated how a common single nucleotide polymorphism near PTEN, previously associated with fasting levels of plasma insulin and glucose, influences in vivo glucose metabolism and insulin signalling. The primary outcome measure was the gene variant's association with peripheral glucose disposal rate and, secondarily, whether this association was explained by altered activities of PTEN targets PI3K and Akt. ⋯ A common PTEN variation is associated with peripheral insulin resistance and subsequent risk of developing T2D. However, the association with insulin resistance is not explained by decreased proximal insulin signalling in skeletal muscle.