Liver biopsies from hepatitis C patients afflicted with severe liver fibrosis (METAVIR scores of 3 or 4) displayed a high level expression of both active, phosphorylated RSK and phosphorylated human C/EBPβ on Thr266 in activated HSC within the fibrous tissue, compared with samples from three control patients (60±13 years) as identified by confocal scanning microscopy with specific antibodies against RSK-PhosphoSer380, C/EBPβ-PhosphoThr266, and glial fibrillary protein for HSC [10] (Figure 9 A and B). The gene discussed is RPS6KA3; the disease is hepatitis C virus infection.