•The association of T1D with SNPs in the 12q24.12 region (111.3–111.9 Mb) containing ATXN2 has been attributed to a non-synonymous SNP in SHB23. 31The T1D-associated SNPs in the 12q24 region lie in a range from 111.39 to 112.5 Mb, corresponding to a linkage disequilibrium block in European populations. Here, ATXN2 is linked to type 1 diabetes mellitus.