In contrast, in our 16 week old db/db mice, which is a model for type 2 diabetes, we do observe a severe depletion of mRNA’s that are normally enriched in beta cells (MafA, ZnT8, Glut2), as previously published [45–47], together with a loss of expression of islet hormone genes (Fig 5A). The gene discussed is MAFA; the disease is type 2 diabetes mellitus.