GIP and type 2 diabetes mellitus: We have previously demonstrated that glucose dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) stimulates expression of OPN in human islets where OPN exerts protection against cytokine-induced apoptosis.29 The connection between NFATC4 and TCF7L2, which has not been reported previously in the literature, is particularly important as it adds to the mechanistic information on two pathways (Wnt signaling and B-cell signaling pathways) that were found to have HiCc in the T2D pathobiologic context.