CXCL1 and steatosis: GROα mRNA expression was found to be increased in liver samples from patients with NASH compared to patients with simple steatosis.36 A polymorphism of the CXCL1 gene increases the risk for HCV-infected individuals to develop cirrhosis.37 Interestingly, hepatic overexpression of GROα was sufficient to induce the progression from steatosis to NASH in mice fed with a high-fat diet.38