VSMC-specific ATG7 knockout in ApoE−/− mice significantly increased the susceptibility of VSMCs to apoptotic cell death, leading to plaque growth, medial disruption and aneurysm formation, which provided the evidence that autophagy deficiency of VSMCs aggravated atherosclerosis via inducing VSMC death (Osonoi et al., 2018). This evidence concerns the gene ATG7 and atherosclerosis.