These in vitro findings are, nevertheless, in contradiction with the recent report that VSMC-specific ablation of TGF-β signaling in ApoE–/– mice leads to aortic aneurysms, with extensive lipid and calcium accumulation throughout the aorta (Chen et al., 2020); in this study, deletion of TGF-β signaling in VSMCs led to their dedifferentiation toward mesenchymal stem cells, enabling commitment toward chondrocytes and adipocytes (Chen et al., 2020). Here, TGFB1 is linked to aortic aneurysm.