Evidence #1: Diabetes NEXT

Introduction Type 1 diabetes is a serious disease. It occurs when people stop producing a chemical called insulin. Insulin is important because it helps the body use glucose properly. When people do not produce enough insulin, they get too much glucose in their blood. This can damage their circulatory system and their nervous system. Each person: Ask your group one question to check your understanding. Make sure you all agree on the answers to each person’s question. BACK NEXT

Who is right? CORRECT! CORRECT! I have diabetes, because my body produces too much insulin. I have diabetes, because my body produces too little insulin. I am healthy, because my body produces no insulin. CORRECT! CORRECT! BACK NEXT NEXT

Click back to re-read and try again Who is right? I have diabetes, because my body produces too much insulin. I have diabetes, because my body produces too little insulin. I am healthy, because my body produces no insulin. TRY AGAIN! Click back to re-read and try again BACK

What causes Type 1 diabetes? Some scientists have a hypothesis. Here is what they think: Many people with Type 1 diabetes have a mutation in a gene called DRB. In healthy people, the DRB gene gives instructions to the cells to produce a protein called the DRB protein. (Proteins are one kind of chemical structure in cells.) The DRB protein helps make sure the body can produce insulin, so that people do not get diabetes. When people have a mutation in the DRB gene, their genes do not give instructions to produce the DRB protein. And then the DRB protein cannot help make sure that the body can produce insulin. So they are more likely to get diabetes. Each person: Ask your group one question to check your understanding. Make sure you all agree on the answers to each person’s question. BACK NEXT

This shows the scientists’ hypothesis about healthy people: cell 1. They have the DRB gene in their cells. Click on the cell to see what the scientists think happens next. BACK

This graphic shows their hypothesis about healthy people: cell 1. They have the DRB gene in their cells. 2. The DRB gene gives instructions to make the DRB protein. So the DRB protein is in their cells. (The DRB protein is shown as red dots.) Click on the cell to see what the scientists think happens next. BACK

This shows their hypothesis about healthy people: cell Insulin 1. They have the DRB gene in their cells. 3. The DRB protein helps make sure that people can produce insulin. So they are healthy. 2. The DRB gene gives instructions to make the DRB protein. So the DRB protein is in their cells. Each person: Ask your group one question to check your understanding. Make sure you all agree on the answers to each person’s question. BACK NEXT

This shows their hypothesis about people with Type 1 diabetes: cell 1. They have a mutated DRB gene which does not work properly. Click on the cell to see what the scientists think happens next. BACK

This shows their hypothesis about most people with Type 1 diabetes: cell No DRB Protein! 1. They have a mutated DRB gene which does not work properly. 2. The DRB gene does not give instructions to make the DRB protein. So there is no DRB protein in the cell. Click on the cell to see what the scientists think happens next. BACK

This shows their hypothesis about most people with Type 1 diabetes: cell No insulin No DRB Protein! 3. Because there is no DRB protein, people often cannot produce insulin, and they get diabetes. 1. They have a mutated DRB gene which does not work properly. 2. The DRB gene does not give instructions to make the DRB protein. So there is no DRB protein in the cell. Each person: Ask your group one question to check your understanding. Make sure you all agree on the answers to each person’s question. BACK NEXT

Who is right about the scientists’ hypothesis Who is right about the scientists’ hypothesis? (Click on the person who is right.) The scientists think that most healthy people have: No DRB gene No DRB protein No insulin The scientists think that most healthy people have: A normal No DRB protein Insulin DRB gene in their cells The scientists think that most healthy people have: A normal DRB protein Insulin DRB gene in their cells BACK CORRECT!! CORRECT!! NEXT NEXT

Who is right about the scientists’ hypothesis Who is right about the scientists’ hypothesis? (Click on the person who is right.) The scientists think that most people with diabetes have: A mutated No DRB protein No insulin DRB gene in their cells The scientists think that most people with diabetes have: A mutated DRB protein No insulin DRB gene in their cells The scientists think that most people with diabetes have: No DRB gene No DRB protein No insulin BACK CORRECT!! CORRECT!! NEXT NEXT

Sorry, that is not correct. Go to the next page, and read the scientists’ hypothesis again, slowly and carefully. Make sure you understand what you read, and then go back and try again. NEXT

This is what the scientists think about most healthy people: Insulin 1. They have a DRB gene in their cells. 3. The DRB protein helps make sure that people can produce insulin. So they are healthy. 2. The DRB gene gives instructions to make the DRB protein. So the DRB protein is in their cells. This is what the scientists think about most people with diabetes: No insulin No DRB Protein! 1. They have a mutated DRB gene which does not work properly. 3. Because there is no DRB protein, people often cannot produce insulin, and they get diabetes. 2. The DRB gene does not give instructions to make the DRB protein. So there is no DRB protein in their cells. BACK

Sorry, that is not correct. Go to the next page, and read the scientists’ hypothesis again, slowly and carefully. Make sure you understand what you read, and then go back and try again. NEXT

This is what the scientists think about most healthy people: Insulin 1. They have a DRB gene in their cells. 3. The DRB protein helps make sure that people can produce insulin. So they are healthy. 2. The DRB gene gives instructions to make the DRB protein. So the DRB protein is in their cells. This is what the scientists think about most people with diabetes: No insulin No DRB Protein! 1. They have a mutated DRB gene which does not work properly. 3. Because there is no DRB protein, people often cannot produce insulin, and they get diabetes. 2. The DRB gene does not give instructions to make the DRB protein. So there is no DRB protein in their cells. BACK

Method The scientists conducted a study to test their hypothesis. They wanted to find out if diabetes patients have a mutated DRB gene and if they have the DRB protein. To test this idea they tested 10 people with Type 1 diabetes and 10 healthy people. They used standard procedures to check:  whether the people had a mutated or normal DRB gene.  whether the people had the DRB protein in their cells. Each person: Ask your group one question to check your understanding. Make sure you all agree on the answers to each person’s question. BACK NEXT

Normal DRB gene and protein Normal DRB gene and protein These are the patients who have Type 1 diabetes (and produce no insulin). Click on each patient to see their test result for the DRB gene and the DRB protein. To protect their identities, they are anonymous. Mutated DRB gene No DRB Protein Mutated DRB gene No DRB Protein Normal DRB gene and protein Mutated DRB gene No DRB Protein Mutated DRB gene No DRB Protein Mutated DRB gene No DRB Protein Mutated DRB gene No DRB Protein Mutated DRB gene No DRB Protein Normal DRB gene and protein Mutated DRB gene No DRB Protein BACK NEXT

These are the healthy patients who DO NOT have diabetes These are the healthy patients who DO NOT have diabetes. Click on each patient to see their test result for the DRB gene and the DRB protein. To protect their identities ,they are anonymous. Normal DRB gene and protein Normal DRB gene and protein Normal DRB gene and protein Mutated DRB gene No DRB Protein Normal DRB gene and protein Normal DRB gene and protein Normal DRB gene and protein Normal DRB gene and protein Normal DRB gene and protein Normal DRB gene and protein BACK NEXT

Results The scientists’ results are in the table below. BACK Patients with type 1 diabetes Patients without diabetes Patient DRB gene DRB protein 1 Mutated No protein Normal 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Discuss: What do you conclude from this study? Give reasons for your ideas, and try to agree on the best conclusion. Focus on which genes and proteins healthy people have, and which genes and proteins patients with diabetes have. When you are finished, write your group’s conclusion on Page 36, Question 5. BACK