PPARGC1A and atherosclerosis: Importantly, to further ascertain the involvement of endothelial Nrf2 and/or PGC-1α in mediating the potential benefits of Rb1 in atherosclerosis, these mice were transduced with the recombinant adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9) carrying Nrf2 shRNA or PGC-1α under the control of Tie1 promoter through tail vein injection (5 × 1011 viral particles per animal) (Fig. 8A).