Flow cytometric analysis of splenocytes revealed that although the proportion of Th17 cells (CD3e+CD4+CD8a−IL17a+) was not significantly increased, mice in the CAD group exhibited a distinct shift towards T-cells expressing RORγt (CD3e+CD4+CD8a−RORγt+), a master transcription factor that can direct the differentiation of Th17 cells (Fig. 6a) [40]. Here, CD4 is linked to coronary artery disorder.