To investigate the role of the Rpl13a snoRNA in systemic glucose metabolism, Lee et al. (2016) developed Rpl13a-snoRNA-deficient mice; subsequent glucose tolerance tests revealed that the Rpl13a-snoRNA-knockout mice exhibited significantly enhanced glucose tolerances and higher serum insulin levels than wild-type mice, indicating the potential of the Rpl13a snoRNA as a biomarker for diabetes. This evidence concerns the gene RPL13A and diabetes mellitus.