Furthermore, our unpublished data of the use of an in vitro human endothelial cell model elucidated that high glucose levels can lead to downregulation of Gas6/Axl signaling, which in turn causes endothelial dysfunction with a decrease in cell viability and angiogenesis and the induction of monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion by suppressing vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 expression and activating adhesion molecules. The gene discussed is AXL; the disease is endothelial dysfunction.