Atherosclerosis is considered to be an inflammatory process in which monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages play a key role in both initiation and progression of the disease.[1, 2] Circulating monocytes can be divided into three distinct subtypes according to their surface expression of CD14 and CD16.[3, 4] Classical monocytes (CM; CD14++CD16-) account for approximately 90% of all circulating monocytes. The gene discussed is CD14; the disease is atherosclerosis.