In order to evaluate the role of adaptive immunity in the acceleration of atherosclerosis observed in Card9-deficient mice, we backcrossed Apoe-/-Rag2-/- mice with Rag2-/-Card9-/- to generate athero-prone lymphocyte (T, B, NKT)-deficient Apoe-/-Rag2-/-Card9-/- mice. Here, APOE is linked to atherosclerosis.