As cholic acid can induce HCC [50], we tested an alternative diet-independent approach to increase hepatic cholesterol levels using the Tg SREBP-2 mice, which exhibit a constitutive induction of SREBP-2, the master regulator of cholesterol synthesis in parallel with enhanced expression of its target Hmgcr and free cholesterol content. Here, HMGCR is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.