RUNX2 and atherosclerosis: discovered that COUP‐TFII negatively regulated osteoblast differentiation via interaction with Runx2, and BMP2‐induced Runx2 repressed COUP‐TFII expression and promoted osteoblast differentiation during the differentiation state.[43] Therefore, COUP‐TFII appears to have protective roles against pathogenic phenotypes resembling atherosclerosis and vascular calcification.