NLRP3 and Hypertension: Furthermore, the expression of transglutaminase 2 (TGM2), an arterial calcification‐related protein that is positively associated with hypertension and atherosclerosis (Mattison et al., 2014), and Collagen type IV alpha1 (COL4A1) and alpha2 (COL4A2) linked to the pathogenesis of vascular lesions were increased in WT but not in NLRP3−/− mice (Jeanne, Jorgensen, & Gould, 2015).