But investigators face a huge technical hurdle trying to confirm these findings in humans.
"We do know this process [gene silencing] occurs in humans, particularly in cancer with tumor suppressor genes," Simmons explained. "What we don't know is if this process is responsible, in humans, for changes that we see in growth-retarded babies growing up."
"We'd like to think this is the case [that the same process is at work in humans], but we have no way right now to determine that," Simmons continued.
If the same mechanism is at work in humans, the Pdx1 gene may present a good target for drug therapy to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes, she said.
More information
Visit the American Diabetes Association for more on type 2 diabetes.
