Reportedly, when male Apoe gene-deficient (Apoe-/-) mice were exposed to a high-fat diet, NEIL3 gene deficiency (Neil3-/-) accelerated atherosclerosis formation, and interestingly, genomic integrity and accumulation of oxidative DNA damage in plaques were not significantly altered, suggesting that Neil3-/- may accelerate atherosclerosis formation through other mechanisms [95]. Here, APOE is linked to atherosclerosis.