These results provide compelling functional evidence that genetic variation is associated with dysregulated LMOD1 expression/function in SMCs, together contributing to the heritable risk for CAD.
We identified 25 new SNP-CAD associations (P < 5 × 10<sup>-8</sup>, in fixed-effects meta-analysis) from 15 genomic regions, including SNPs in or near genes involved in cellular adhesion, leukocyte migration and atherosclerosis (PECAM1, rs1867624), coagulation and inflammation (PROCR, rs867186 (p.Ser219Gly)) and vascular smooth muscle cell differentiation (LMOD1, rs2820315).