Consistent with thevariation in the T-cell subset ratio, in patients with atherosclerosis, theTh17-cell-related transcription factor RORC showed a markedly higher mRNA level(p < 0.05), conversely, the mRNA expression of the Treg cell-relatedtranscription factor Foxp3 was notably reduced (p < 0.05). This evidence concerns the gene FOXP3 and atherosclerosis.