VCAN and atherosclerosis: The generation of a versican-rich ECM under 1% O2 provides a link between hypoxia and atherosclerosis, since versican is reported to accumulate in plaques, where it binds and retains low-density lipoproteins and is involved in inflammatory cell recruitment, thereby potentiating low-density lipoprotein modification and the accumulation of lipid-laden (foam) cells.