PCSK9 and atherosclerosis: Here we first established atherosclerosis in C57BL6/J mice by using adeno-associated virus (AAV.8) to overexpress proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (Pcsk9) in the liver, resulting in low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)-deficiency, in combination with feeding the mice an atherogenic diet25,26.