LEP and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Several of the proteins identified in STEP 1 and STEP 2 are known to be related to obesity and T2D pathophysiology and their associated complications, including C-reactive protein (CRP), adipokines (leptin, adiponectin), ghrelin, insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP), growth hormone receptor (GHR), neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1) and netrin receptor (UNC5D), among others.