This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) RPHR Note All Versions of this Article: 29/3/265    most recent Final Manuscript Author Manuscript Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Google Scholar Articles by Aguilar-Bryan, L. Articles by Bryan, J. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Aguilar-Bryan, L. Articles by Bryan, J.

Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus

Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute, Seattle, Washington 98122

Correspondence: Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Lydia Aguilar-Bryan and Joseph Bryan, Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute, 720 Broadway, Seattle, Washington 98122. E-mail: lbryan{at}pnri.org or jbryan{at}pnri.org

An explosion of work over the last decade has produced insight into the multiple hereditary causes of a nonimmunological form of diabetes diagnosed most frequently within the first 6 months of life. These studies are providing increased understanding of genes involved in the entire chain of steps that control glucose homeostasis. Neonatal diabetes is now understood to arise from mutations in genes that play critical roles in the development of the pancreas, of β-cell apoptosis and insulin processing, as well as the regulation of insulin release. For the basic researcher, this work is providing novel tools to explore fundamental molecular and cellular processes. For the clinician, these studies underscore the need to identify the genetic cause underlying each case. It is increasingly clear that the prognosis, therapeutic approach, and genetic counseling a physician provides must be tailored to a specific gene in order to provide the best medical care.