Using these approaches we identified genes that are likely to be downstream of Cd44. To confirm these relationships we used peritoneal macrophages from Cd44-/- mice and determined that expression of our predicted genes is indeed, modulated in part by Cd44. Thus, all of our genes with eQTL mapping to the atherosclerosis QTL interval in trans, Nckap1l, Fermt3, Trpv2, Gpsm3 and Evl, were differentially expressed in Cd44-/- mice. This evidence concerns the gene FERMT3 and atherosclerosis.