On the other end of this continuum, we identify a subpopulation of ~70% AC cells (Fig. 4a, red bar) that have elevated expression of POSTN (osteoblasts; normalized effect = −2.206, q = 3.60e−16), CRTAC1 (chrondrocytes; normalized effect = −3.22, q = 3.91e−26), TNFRSF11B (bone remodeling; normalized effect = −0.98, q = 7.31e−06)66, ENG (VSMC migration; normalized effect = 0.87, q = 1.41e−13)67, COL4A2, and COL4A1 (cell proliferation, association with CAD; normalized effect = −0.98, −1.03 and q = 3.17e−15, 5.68e−11, respectively)68,69. Here, COL4A2 is linked to coronary artery disorder.