SQSTM1 and Hepatic steatosis: On the other hand, in methionine/choline-deficient diet-induced NASH, autophagy-related proteins such as BECN1 and SQSTM1/p62 are upregulated, but autophagic flux is impaired by hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α), which induces liver steatosis and inflammation133.