CEBPA and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Furthermore, the siRNA-mediated loss of C/EBPα in normal lung fibroblasts enhances the profibrotic activation and ECM deposition, whereas C/EBPα upregulation by transient transfection in IPF-derived fibroblasts significantly reduces profibrotic genes expression and ECM production and while promoting lipid droplet formation [43].