PTPRO and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis: RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence showed that mRNA and protein levels of PTPROt in liver macrophages were considerably higher in individuals with simple steatosis or NASH than in the nonsteatotic controls, and the NASH group had markedly higher PTPROt expression than the simple steatosis group (Figure 6A-C) (P<0.0001).