APOE and atherosclerosis: On the other hand, platelet depletion with a GPIbα-specifc antibody in ApoE–/– mice leads to reduced leukocyte accumulation in the arterial intima and attenuated atherosclerotic plaque formation, importantly indicating that adhering platelets form a focal point for the immune-cell driven inflammation that typifies atherosclerosis (Massberg et al., 2002).