The ATPase/L31 axis: In one study, rats administered benzo[a]pyrene (BaP)—a pro-oxidant present in tobacco smoke that accelerates atherosclerosis and induces a synthetic VSMC phenotype—exhibited elevated levels of lncRNA GAS5 and mitochondrial ATPase, along with reduced ribosomal protein L31 in isolated VSMCs [29]. This evidence concerns the gene GAS5 and atherosclerosis.