Corporate genome screening India (CoGsI) identified genetic variants association with T2D in young Indian professionals

Rising cases of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in India, especially in metropolitan cities is an increasing concern. The individuals that were most affected are young professionals working in the corporate sector. However, the corporate sector has remained the least explored for T2D risk predisposition. Considering corporate employees' lifestyles and the role of gene-environment interaction in T2D susceptibility, the study aims to find genetic variants associated with T2D predisposition. In this first kind of study, 680 young professionals (284 T2D cases, and 396 controls) were diagnosed and screened for 2658 variants on an array designed explicitly for the CoGsI study. The variant filtering was done at Bonferroni p-value of 0.000028. The genetic data was analysed using PLINK v1.09, SPSS, R programming, VEP tool, and FUMA GWAS tool. Interestingly, 42 variants were associated with the T2D risk. Out of 42, three missense variants (rs1402467, rs6050, and rs713598) in Sulfotransferase family 1 C member 4 (SULT1C4), Fibrinogen Alpha Chain (FGA), and Taste 2 Receptor Member 38 (TAS2R38) and two untranslated region (UTR) variants (rs1063320 and rs6296) in Major Histocompatibility Complex, Class I, G (HLA-G) and 5-Hydroxytryptamine Receptor 1B (HTR1B) were associated with the T2D risk. CoGsI identified potential genomic markers increasing susceptibility to the early onset of T2D. Present findings provide insights into mechanisms underlying T2D manifestation in corporate professionals due to genetics interacting with occupational stress and urban lifestyles.

Beneficial psychological effects of novel psychobiotics in diabetic rats: the interaction among the gut, blood and amygdala

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can lead to major complications such as psychiatric disorders which include depressive and anxiety-like behaviors. The association of the gut-brain axis in the development of such disorders, especially in T2DM, has been elucidated; however, gut dysbiosis is also reported in patients with T2DM. Hence, the regulation of the gut-brain axis, in particular, the gut-amygdala, as a vital region for the regulation of behavior is essential. Thirty-five male Wistar rats were divided into six groups. To induce T2DM, treatment groups received high-fat diet and 35 mg/kg streptozotocin. Then, supplements of Lactobacillus plantarum, inulin or their combination were administered to each group for 8 weeks. Finally, the rats were sacrificed for measurement of blood and tissue parameters after behavioral testing. The findings demonstrated the favorable effects of the psychobiotics (L. plantarum, inulin or their combination) on oxidative markers of the blood and amygdala (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde and total antioxidant capacity), as well as on concentrations of amygdala serotonin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, in the diabetic rats. In addition, beneficial effects were observed on the elevated plus maze and forced swimming tests with no change in locomotor activity of the rats. There was a strong correlation between the blood and amygdala oxidative markers, insulin and fasting blood sugar with depressive and anxiety-like behaviors. Our results identified L. plantarum ATCC 8014 and inulin or their combination as novel psychobiotics that could improve the systemic and nervous antioxidant status and improve amygdala performance and beneficial psychotropic effects.