In the present study, although Cx43 remained stable, PKC-α-MAPK14-ADAM17 signaling is still overactive in the SGs, implying that other endogenous factors and post-translational modifications of Cx43 are involved in the activation of PKC-α-MAPK14-ADAM17 signaling in T2DM. Here, GJA1 is linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus.