NFE2L2 and atherosclerosis: Previous reports demonstrated that myeloid-specific Nrf2 deletion in mice aggravates early and advanced stages of atherosclerosis (Ruotsalainen et al., 2013), and controversially, total gene deficiency protects against atherogenesis by affecting both systemic and local mechanisms (Barajas et al., 2011; Freigang et al., 2011).