FOXC2 and diabetes mellitus: While inactivating mutations in FOXC2 are predominately associated with the development of a form of hereditary lymphedema, lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome (Fang et al., 2000; Dagenais et al., 2004), previous studies have also linked genetic variation in FOXC2 to obesity and diabetes and identified FOXC2 function as protective against obesity and insulin resistance (Cederberg et al., 2001; Kovacs et al., 2003; Carlsson et al., 2005).