KLRK1 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis: Accordingly, Kahraman and colleagues found that liver fibrosis in NASH patients was associated with an increased presence of hepatic NK cells with high NKG2D expression and elevated gene and protein expression of its ligands MICA/B in the liver parenchyma, while in NALFD patients intrahepatic NK cell numbers were reduced (9, 42).