The significant functional pathways shared by the hub-proteins were lipid and atherosclerosis, cell signal transduction, RAC1/PAK1/p38/MMP2 pathway, AGE/RAGE pathway, cytokine signaling pathway, developmental biology, shigellosis, cellular senescence, signaling by interleukins and other receptor associated pathways (Fig. 4B). Here, PAK1 is linked to atherosclerosis.