Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a pleiotropic signaling phospholipid, is produced extracellularly by autotaxin (ATX/ENPP2): a secreted lysophospholipase D. In the serum of COVID-19 patients in the ICU, plasma ATX levels were recently shown to correlate with IL-6 levels in patients with severe ARDS as well as those with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). The gene discussed is ENPP2; the disease is acute-on-chronic liver failure.