In general, atherosclerosis can be considered as chronic inflammatory disease of the vasculature, which is characterized by a complex crosstalk between different cell types, with endothelial cells constituting a crucial starting point of a vicious cycle, wherein NF-κB activation does not only lead to the expression of adhesion molecules that bind leukocytes, but also causes secretion of inflammatory mediators, which activate smooth muscle cells. Here, NFKB1 is linked to atherosclerosis.