The data presented are related to the research article entitled "Overexpression of Perilipin1 protects against atheroma progression in apolipoprotein E knockout mice". This Data in Brief paper describes data that were obtained from perilipin 1 (PLIN1) transgenic mice (Plin1Tg) regarding atherosclerosis. The main aim of collecting the data was to clarify the role of PLIN1 in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. The data were collected from C57BL/6J mice, apolipoprotein E knockout mice (ApoeKO) and Plin1Tg/ApoeKO. The atherosclerotic lesion areas of aorta were 3.3 ± 1.2% in C57BL/6J mice, 14.2 ± 3.2% in ApoeKO, and 5.6 ± 1.9% in Plin1Tg/ApoeKO. Body weight, gonadal adipose mass and plasma triglyceride concentrations were comparable among the three groups [1]. Furthermore, PLIN1 overexpression did not affect the gene expressions related to cholesterol influx and efflux in macrophage. Overexpression of PLIN1 in macrophages protected against atheroma progression. No major risk factors were altered in PLIN1 transgenic mice fed normal diet. Overexpression of PLIN1 did not affect the gene expressions related to cholesterol influx and efflux in macrophage. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: The data of change in macrophage gene expression which [is] induced by perilipin 1 overexpression. File Name: Web Page, url: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352340918305304 Thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophages were isolated from C57BL/6J mice or perilipin 1 (PLIN1) transgenic mice (Plin1Tg). Total RNA was prepared and analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Expression of the PLIN1 transgene and endogenous PLIN1 and PLIN2 genes in the Plin1Tg macrophages was confirmed.