ATP6V1H Gene Expression in Type 2 Diabetes

The purpose of this research was threefold: 1) to study the demographic and physiological parameters of nine individuals in the CCHC who developed diabetes over the three years of the study period; 2) to investigate whether the gene encoding subunit H of V-ATPase (ATP6V1H) was down-regulated in the nine individuals as they progressed from pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes; 3) to perform an extensive literature review of the ATP6V1H gene and its protein product V-ATPase subunit H to postulate what role it might play in the development of diabetes and its complications. According to the World Health Organization there are approximately 346 million cases of diabetes worldwide 90% of which are accredited specifically to type 2 diabetes. As type 2 diabetes continues to raise concern researchers are beginning to turn their focus to the inherent factors that predispose individuals to the disease one of which is genetics. Recently a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes was observed in a 2500-member cohort of Mexican-Americans established on the US-Mexican border specifically in Brownsville (Cameron County) Texas.