Review Reports

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

In this mini-review, the authors attempt to describe current knowledge and future direction regarding the molecular mechanisms of coronary atherosclerotic plaque development by listing multiple players involved. Although the authors do not go deep into the detail of each player’s role, which would be almost impossible to do in a format of mini-review, this manuscript will provide a substantial information to readers interested in coronary atherosclerosis research, and serve as a useful overview of the field.

Author Response

We are very grateful for the positive comment. 

Reviewer 2 Report

Authors provides a concise summary of  latest research progress on atherosclerotic plaque development and future direction. The review was well written and easy to follow. It is an interesting minireview for researchers in this field. This reviewer has one minor comment.

In the last section on new inspiring ideas for further investigation, authors should provide critical comments on the future direction, for instance, asking specific questions that remain to be investigated for each research direction, instead of giving general description or summary.  

Author Response

We are very grateful for the insightful comment. We have adjusted the part "New inspiring ideas for further investigation" by adding critical questions and pointing out what these future directions can give to our knowledge about atherogenesis.