This included a SNP that has a comparable PPAg to the top SNP in this association signal (PPAg = 0.093 vs. 0.12, respectively) and resides near VEGFA, a putative T2D effector gene whose expression is induced by ER stress via direct binding of the ER stress-responsive TFs XBP-1(s) and ATF4 to its promoter in pancreatic beta cells and other cell types70–72. Here, XBP1 is linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus.