ACTA2 and Hepatic fibrosis: With regard to liver fibrosis, we found no difference in Tgfb1, Tgfbr1, Tgfbr2, Mmp2, Mmp9, Timp1, Col1a1, and Acta2 (α-Sma) mRNA between wild type and Lcn2−/− mice receiving CCl4 (Fig. 5A), but wild type mice developed slightly more liver fibrosis than Lcn2−/− mice as evidenced by higher levels of collagen type I protein in Western blot (Fig. 5B).