NEXN and coronary artery disorder: We identified NEXN as a novel susceptibility gene for CAD, and then we provided the following functional evidence to support NEXN as a causal factor of CAD: 1) NEXN was downregulated in response to inflammatory cytokines in smooth muscle cells; 2) NEXN promotes VSMC to a contractile phenotype and showed protective effects in injured vessels; 3) Risk T allele of rs1780050 is associated with decreased level of NEXN by eQTL analysis.