Furthermore, through mouse and rat models, six genes in our network (ARID5B, CYB5R4, EGLN1, RETN, TLR5, and NRG3) have been previously associated with several CAC risk factors including diabetes, insulin resistance, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (all associations listed in Additional file 2: Supplementary Text). Here, NRG3 is linked to Insulin resistance.