Amelioration of atherosclerosis by Egr-1 deletion in mice is accompanied by a concomitant decrease in vascular inflammation, which could be attributed to down-regulation of such Egr-1 target genes as ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and IL-1β although no evidence is available to directly implicate Egr-1 in promoting macrophage homing to the plaque. This evidence concerns the gene IL1B and atherosclerosis.