LDLR and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Moreover, Mendelian randomization studies have shown that loss-of-function variants in the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR) gene, the molecular target of statins, and in the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) gene, a natural inhibitor of the LDL receptor, are associated with an increased risk of T2D [12].