STING1 and Hepatic fibrosis: Moreover, ER stress could induce hepatocyte apoptosis to promote liver fibrosis via stimulator of interferon genes (STING) and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) (Iracheta-Vellve et al., 2016), which could explain why the pro-apoptosis gene CHOP was highly expressed in HCV patients with liver fibrosis.