The tRNA-associated dysregulation in diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex endocrine and metabolic disorder for human health and well-being. Deregulated glucose and lipid metabolism are the primary underlying manifestations associated with this disease. Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are considered to mainly participate in protein translation and may contribute to complex human pathologies. Although the molecular mechanisms remain, for the most part, unknown, accumulating evidence indicates that tRNAs play a vital role in the pathogenesis of DM. This paper reviews different aspects of tRNA-associated dysregulation in DM, such as tRNA mutations, tRNA modifications, tRNA aminoacylation and tRNA derivatives, aiming at a better understanding of the pathogenesis of DM and providing new ideas for the personalized treatment of this metabolism-associated disease.