In mice, miR-126a-5p has been demonstrated to inhibit the production of ADAMTS-4 and prevent the development of abdominal aortic aneurysms; during angiotensin (Ang) II-induced AAA formation, Ang II leads to downregulation of miR-126a-5p, which is able to directly target ADAMTS-4, leading to elevated ADAMTS-4 expression, which in turn causes AAA formation in mice. Here, ADAMTS4 is linked to abdominal aortic aneurysm.