Hypercholesterolemia, inflammation, and multiple growth factors, including VEGF-A/VEGFR-2 and FGF-2/FGFR-1 but not PDGF-BB/PDGFR-β might act synergistically to promote the development of immature and inflammatory intraplaque neovessels, and to accelerate the progression and instability of AS plaques in rabbits. The gene discussed is PDGFRB; the disease is familial hypercholesterolemia.