CMKLR1 and coronary atherosclerosis: In this respect, our observation that coronary atherosclerosis severity was positively correlated with periaortic adipose tissue and aortic VSMC chemerin expression might reflect the significant contribution of visceral fat (a special compartment of which is abdominal perivascular adipose tissue) in circulating chemerin levels, which in turn activate the constitutively expressed CMKLR1 in macrophages and possibly other vascular cell types, leading in acceleration of the atherosclerotic process.