Polymorphism of gene UBE2E2 and the risk of developing diabetes type 2

Abstract

Recently, the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway has emerged as a crucial pathway for protein turnover, and it has also been identified as an important factor for insulin synthesis. This pathway plays a critical role inside β cells; therefore, it has naturally been linked with various insulin-related diseases, most notably type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but also other metabolic diseases and symptoms such as obesity and atherosclerotic plaques. The UBE2E2 gene encodes ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 E2 (UBE2E2), which plays an important role in the synthesis and secretion of insulin. UBE2E2  is a protein expressed in the pancreas, liver, and adipose tissue, as well as in an insulin-secreting cell line . The results of some studies have indicated that single nucleotide polymorphisms on UBE2E2 (rs6780569, rs7612463, rs9812056) are associated with T2DM risk in Japanese, Korean and Chinese populations. Therefore, the UBE2E2 gene has started to draw interest from researchers because of its newly discovered relationships with various diseases.