Deposition of lipid (Oil Red O) and calcium (Alizarin red) in aorta, and expression of related genes. Lipid deposition and calcium deposition from 6 to 12 months are dramatically attenuated by reducing cholesterol levels. Increases in aortic lipid content were associated with alterations in ABCA1, but not ABCG1. Changes in calcium deposition were associated with osteopontin, but not Runx2 or other osteoblast-associated genes (see online supplementary data). CTRL = normocholesterolemic group, HCHOL = hypercholesterolemic group, REV = “reversed”/regression group. * = p < 0.05 versus iso-time CTRL group; # = p < 0.05 versus 6 month HCHOL group. For immunohistochemical/histological data, n = 5-11 per group at each time point; for gene expression data n = 5-13 per group at each time point). Mice were sacrificed at time points denoted on x-axis—offset is provided for clarity and minimization of error bar overlap.