AGT and atherosclerosis: Previous studies of chronic infusions of Ang II in apoE-/- mice have led to three conclusions: (a) Ang II-induced atherosclerosis was not associated with an increase in BP [53]; (b) Ang II-induced hypertension was not the direct cause of the profound increase in atherosclerotic lesions [33] because this increase in BP was similar in magnitude to that observed in wild-type control mice [54]; and (c) low doses of Ang II that did not affect BP increased aortic atherosclerotic lesions [55,56].