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Updated: Feb 4, 2026

A Zebrafish Model of Diabetes Mellitus and Metabolic Memory
Published on: February 28, 2013
Monogenic diabetes mellitus in cystic fibrosis
Hoong-Wei Gan1,2, Jayesh Mahendra Bhatt3, Louise Denvir1
1Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Nottingham Children's Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
Insights
Genetic testing revealed monogenic diabetes in three siblings, two with cystic fibrosis. Sulfonylurea therapy, specifically gliclazide, proved highly effective for all siblings, correcting previous diabetes mellitus diagnoses.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Endocrinology
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Diabetes mellitus (DM) can have various underlying causes, including genetic mutations.
- Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that can affect multiple organs, including the pancreas, potentially leading to DM.
- Monogenic forms of DM, such as those caused by HNF1A mutations, have distinct clinical and therapeutic profiles.
Abstract:
We present a non-consanguineous family of three siblings who presented with diabetes mellitus (DM), two of whom had genetically confirmed cystic fibrosis (CF), with one pancreatic-sufficient mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene (ΔF508/R117H;IVS8-5T). A detailed history revealed family members from three successive generations diagnosed with 'type 1' or 'type 2' diabetes, leading to genetic investigations for monogenic DM. A heterozygous frameshift mutation in the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 homeobox alpha (HNF1A) gene (c.404delA) was subsequently confirmed in all three siblings, which is known to cause monogenic diabetes and is exquisitely sensitive to sulfonylurea therapy. Following this diagnosis, both siblings with CF and HNF1A monogenic diabetes were started on gliclazide therapy, while their older brother who had been wrongly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes was switched from insulin to gliclazide, all with excellent therapeutic responses.
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