In addition, perlecan heparan sulfate (HS) chains promote atherosclerosis, as the depletion of endogenous perlecan HS was associated with a reduced frequency of atherosclerosis in apoE null mice (Tran‐Lundmark et al. 2008), again suggesting that perlecan is pro‐atherosclerotic. Here, HSPG2 is linked to atherosclerosis.