Although in control mice the thoracic part of the vessel wall (both IM and ADV) has a higher basal lipid content than the abdominal part, in studied Apoe-/-/Ldlr-/- mice with atherosclerosis only the abdominal aorta displays changes in lipids that were surprisingly present in PVAT (the increase of unsaturation ratio) as well as in the vascular wall (the increase in the lipid-to-protein ratio). The gene discussed is APOE; the disease is atherosclerosis.