ABCA1 and Increased total leukocyte count: Further highlighting the importance of the ABCA1/ABCG1 axis are studies showing that macrophage-specific deficiency of ABCA1 and ABCG1 promotes plaque inflammation and signals to bone marrow progenitors to produce more monocytes; it has also been demonstrated that ABCA1 and ABCG1 are major suppressors of plaque-associated leukocytosis, and this confers an atheroprotective effect (42, 43).