Interleukins and Atherosclerosis: A Dysfunctional Family Grows

Atherosclerosis is driven by the release of cytokines from macrophages, and the beta isoform of interleukin-1 (IL-1 beta) is a prime suspect in disease progression. Freigang et al. (2013) now suggest that IL-1 alpha, a close relative, is selectively induced by fatty acids independent of the inflammasome to promote vascular inflammation.