Fig. 10. COL15A1 is pervasive within advanced human atherosclerotic plaques and localized to the fibrous cap and intraplaque microvessels. A representative image of a human coronary artery lesion from 1 of 6 patients analyzed who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery is shown. Serial sections were stained with COL15A1 (A) or traditional macrophage (CD68; B) and SMC marker (ACTA2) genes. C and D: boxes (1 and 2) represent regions of higher magnification to highlight COL15A1 presence in the ACTA2-rich fibrous cap (C and D) and intraplaque microvessels (D, blue arrows) with little to no COL15A1 staining in CD68-rich regions (D). DOI: (10.1152/ajpheart.00029.2017)