Of note, we had isolated thoracic aorta SMCs at the time point of 16 weeks of WTD feeding in Ldlr−/− mice, when mice with SMC-Abca1/Abcg1 had not developed atherosclerosis in the thoracic aorta, reflected by the Oil Red O positive area being restricted to SMCs of the thoracic aorta and the thoracic aorta being negative for Mac-2 staining. This evidence concerns the gene ABCA1 and atherosclerosis.