Ras Related Associated With Diabetes (RRAD)

RRAD, called RAD (RAS associated with diabetes), as selectively overexpressed in type II diabetic muscle as compared to muscle of nondiabetic or type I diabetic individuals.

RRAD encodes a novel 29-kD member of the Ras-guanosine triphosphatase superfamily. RRAD mRNA was expressed primarily in skeletal and cardiac muscle and was increased an average of 8.6-fold in the muscle of type II diabetics as compared with normal individuals. Southern blot analysis of the RRAD gene did not reveal any evidence of gene amplification or rearrangement; a detailed analysis of the RRAD promoter was required to determine if some regulatory element played a role in the overexpression of the gene in type II diabetes.