PNPLA3 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: For possible reasons, a single-nucleotide polymorphism, rs738409 (causing an isoleucine-to-methionine substitution at position 148, I148M) in the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) gene is strongly associated with steatosis in patients with NAFLD [35].