A-D. Circulating leukocytes were fluorescently labeled by i. v. injection of rhodamine and visualized in peri-intestinal, post-capillary venules by intravital microscopy. Mean numbers of rolling or firmly adhering leukocytes in 3-4 animals are shown. A. Leukocyte rolling in EIRAKO mice and controls. B. Leukocyte adhesion in EIRAKO mice. C. Leukocyte rolling in VENIRKO mice and controls, both wild-type for apoE. D. Leukocyte adhesion in VENIRKO mice and controls. E. Western blotting of lysate of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). F. Adhesion in vivo of transferred mononuclear cells. PBMC were freshly isolated from one donor animal, labeled with rhodamine ex vivo, and injected i. v. in a single recipient animal. Mean numbers of firmly adhering PBMC, with genotypes of donor and recipient animals indicated, are shown (n=3-5). G-I. Bone marrow transplantation in apoE knockout mice, which were lethally irradiated and recieved a graft of bone marrow cells from EIRAKO or control mice. An atherogenic “Western” diet was started the day after transplantation. G. Western blotting of PBMC lysate 8 weeks after transplantation. H. Mean values for insulin receptor-β protein based on densitometry of Western blots of PBMC from 3 mice in each group of apoE knockout mice with EIRAKO or control bone marrow replacement. See also . I. Mean values for atherosclerotic lesion area in the aorta in 11 recipients of EIRAKO mice bone marrow and 11 recipients of control bone marrow 8 weeks after bone marrow transplantation. Abbreviations: E, endothelial insulin receptor and apoE knockout (EIRAKO) mice; V, vascular endothelial receptor knockout (VENIRKO) mice; PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cells.