It is known that the solute carrier family 30 member 8 gene (SLC30A8) encodes a zinc transporter in pancreatic beta cells and that the major C-allele of a missense variant (rs13266634; C/T; R325W) in SLC30A8 is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Here, SLC30A8 is linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus.