A pathway to insulin independence in newborns and infants with diabetes

Molecular genetic testing of patients with monogenic diabetes and hyperinsulinism

Genetic sequencing has become a critical part of the diagnosis of certain forms of pancreatic beta cell dysfunction. Despite great advances in the speed and cost of DNA sequencing, determining the pathogenicity of variants remains a challenge, and requires sharing of sequence and phenotypic data between laboratories. We reviewed all diabetes and hyperinsulinism-associated molecular testing done at the Seattle Children's Molecular Genetics Laboratory from 2009 to 2013. 331 probands were referred to us for molecular genetic sequencing for Neonatal Diabetes (NDM), Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY), or Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI) during this period. Reportable variants were identified in 115 (35%) patients with 91 variants in one of 6 genes: HNF1A, GCK, HNF4A, ABCC8, KCNJ11, or INS. In addition to identifying 23 novel variants, we identified unusual mechanisms of inheritance, including mosaic and digenic MODY presentations. Re-analysis of all reported variants using more recently available databases led to a change in variant interpretation from the original report in 30% of cases. These results represent a resource for molecular testing of monogenic forms of diabetes and hyperinsulinism, providing a mutation spectrum for these disorders in a large North American cohort. In addition, they highlight the importance of periodic review of molecular testing results.