CD8A and atherosclerosis: Indeed, a mechanistic role for CD8 T cells in the development of ASCVD is suggested by our recent data demonstrating that CD8 T cells localize to sites of endothelial dysfunction in the aortas of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and simian-HIV (SHIV)-infected rhesus macaques and in atherosclerotic vascular tissues of HIV-uninfected donors (42, 43).