β-GAL, p16, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI1, encoded by SERPINE1), p53 and the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase 8 (also known as JNK1) were increased in mature adipose cells, which corresponded to decreased levels of adipogenic markers, PPARγ and GLUT4, and insulin sensitivity measured as serine 473 phosphorylation of AKT in T2D compared to lean individuals (Gustafson et al. 2022) (Fig. 2). The gene discussed is SERPINE1; the disease is type 2 diabetes mellitus.