Scientists are not quite sure exactly causes type one diabetes.

They do know for sure that genetic mutations occur that are present in all type one diabetics. The three genetic variations that happen in type one diabetics have to do with HLA, SIR1, and T and Beta cells.! ! What actually is type one diabetes? Type one diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin due to the destruction of insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas. In type one diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease, the body's immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells. Normally, the immune system protects the body from infection by identifying and destroying bacteria, viruses, and other harmful foreign substances. In auto immune diseases, the immune system attacks the body's own cells. In type one diabetes, beta cell destruction may take place over a long period of time, but symptoms of the disease develope over a short period of time (Vinther, 2013). ! ! One genetic variation is on the SIR1 gene. The SIR1 gene helps regulate metabolism and helps protect the body from diseases associated with aging (Vinther,2013). In all type one diabetics there is a mutation on the SIR1 gene. This mutation Causes more mediators to be generated that are destructive (Vinther,2013). Scientists did a study on mice and they removed the SIR1 gene. That greatly increased the susceptibility to diabetes and more islet damage (Vinther,2013). The scientists have a theory, that Beta cells that are killed due to the SIR1 gene mutation trigger the Immune system towards type one diabetes (Vinther,2013).! ! Three other genetic variations in the HLA region are present in type one diabetics. The specic mutations are in HLA-DQ2, HLA-DQ8, and HLA-DR0405 (Vinther,2013). HLA stands for human leukocyte antigen (Vinther,2013). Those three genes encode molecules that present peptides to T cells. The genetic mutation causes them to encode the molecules wrong. This leads the T cells to attack the wrongly encoded molecules (Vinther,2013). ! ! There are two other genetic mutations occur in people with type one diabetes. Those are T cells and beta cells. The T cells determine if the code being presented is part of the body or if it is not and need to be eliminated (Vinther, 2013). In the normally functioning body the T cells would help ght o" bacteria and viruses, but in the context of type one diabetes the T cells aggressively attack the body's own cells (Vinther,2013). Recent research suggests the insulin it's self may be the trigger to the immune attack on beta cells. The immune systems of people who are susceptible to developing type 1 diabetes respond to insulin as if it were a foreign substance or antigen. To combat antigens the body makes protiens called antibodies. Antibodies to insulin and other protiens produced by beta cells are found in people with type one diabetes.