Of interest, although our previous reports using cultured hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and portal fibroblast cells (PFCs) unequivocally demonstrate that MKL1 deficiency blocked the trans-differentiation of HSCs21 and PFCs20 into mature myofibroblasts, it remains untested whether genetic ablation of MKL1 specifically from either HSCs or PFCs would be sufficient to stall liver fibrosis in vivo. This evidence concerns the gene MRTFA and Hepatic fibrosis.