On intestinal macrophages from colon biopsies we identified AXL expression on the majority of resident macrophages in healthy gut mucosa, whereas a significant decrease of CD68+AXL+ macrophages was found in patients with advanced cirrhosis and similarly in conditions of chronic inflammation unrelated to cirrhosis such as in patients with ulcerative colitis (Figure 6A and B). This evidence concerns the gene CD68 and ulcerative colitis.