Genomic regulation of type 2 diabetes endophenotypes: Contribution from genetic studies in the Goto-Kakizaki rat.

The inbred Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat strain is a unique model of spontaneous type 2 diabetes mellitus caused by naturally occurring genetic variants that have been selectively isolated from an outbred colony of Wistar rats. Genetic and genomic studies in experimental crosses and congenic strains of the GK have shed light on the complex etiopathogenesis of diabetes phenotypes in this model. Diabetes-related phenotypes in the GK are under polygenic control and distinct genetic loci regulate glucose tolerance, insulin secretion, β-cell mass and plasma lipids. Metabolome and transcriptome profiling data in GK crosses and congenics, combined with GK genome resequencing, have resulted in a comprehensive landscape of genomic regulations of metabolism that can disentangle causal relationships between GK variants and diabetes phenotypes. Application of systems biology and systems genetics in the GK has contributed to improve our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms regulating metabolism. The wealth of physiological, genetic and genomic information in this strain makes it one of the most powerful model systems to improve our understanding of genetic regulations of metabolism and for testing therapeutic solutions for diabetes.