Mutations in an insulin-linked gene can cause permanent neonatal diabetes, say American and U.K. researchers.

Permanent neonatal diabetes is a rare form of diabetes that affects infants and leads to lifelong dependence on insulin injections. This is the first study to link insulin gene mutations to severe diabetes with onset early in life, the researchers said.

The mutations may influence the way insulin folds during its synthesis. These improperly folded proteins interfere then with other cellular processes in ways that eventually result in the death of cells that produce insulin, the researchers said,

Read the full article on neonatal diabetes from the Washington Post