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ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Tipping the cap away from danger

Nature Metabolism volume 3, pages 128–130 (2021)Cite this article

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Deciphering the origins of the various cells in atherosclerotic plaques, the regulation of their fates and their functions is an essential step towards developing strategies to limit or even reverse disease progression to myocardial infarction. In this issue, Newman et al. advance our understanding of the roles of non-vascular smooth muscle cells in the formation and maintenance of the fibrous cap, a structure in human atherosclerotic plaques that protects them against rupture—the proximal event typically underlying myocardial infarctions.

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Fig. 1: Lineage tracing of SMCs and non-SMCs in atherosclerotic plaques.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Heart Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Ashish Misra

  2. Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Ashish Misra

  3. Department of Medicine/Division of Cardiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Edward A. Fisher

  4. Cardiovascular Research Center, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Edward A. Fisher

Authors
  1. Ashish Misra
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  2. Edward A. Fisher
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A.M. and E.A.F. wrote and revised the manuscript and approved the final version.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ashish Misra or Edward A. Fisher.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Misra, A., Fisher, E.A. Tipping the cap away from danger. Nat Metab 3, 128–130 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-021-00353-3

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