In addition, Zheng et al. (2014) showed that knocking down NLRP3 genes in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice results in reduced inflammatory cytokines and plaque content of lipid and macrophages, as well as increased plaque content of collagen; therefore, NLRP3 is associated with unstable qlaque of atherosclerosis. Here, APOE is linked to atherosclerosis.