A previously unknown microprotein hidden within the human mitochondrial genome may help explain certain forms of Type 2 diabetes and could point toward a new, precision-medicine approach to treating it, according to a new USC study. Obesity and Type 2 diabetes are among the fastest-growing threats to human health, yet their genetic underpinnings remain only partly understood. A SNP is a common type of genetic variation representing a difference in a single nucleotide, or individual “building block” of DNA. This genetic variant sits within the gene for a newly identified mitochondrial-derived microprotein, which the researchers have named MENTSH (MDP Encoded in the ND-Two Subunit of Humans). The presence of this genetic variant can be easily screened for and could serve as a test for diabetes risk.