SMAD3 and atherosclerosis: Since SMAD3 is a part of the TGFβ signaling pathway and most studies have shown that activation of the TGFβ signaling pathway is anti-atherogenic, we hypothesized that the T allele of SMAD3 rs17228212 may play a role in the development of atherosclerosis, suppress the expression of SMAD3, inhibit the TGFβ pathway and therefore lead to pro-atherogenic changes.