Osteopontin and HMGB1: novel regulators of HSC activation

Liver fibrosis, the accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins caused by chronic liver damage, results from the activation of hepatic stellate cells. In a new study, Arriazu et al. explore in detail the mechanisms by which the multifunctional protein osteopontin drives hepatic fibrosis, and show that interaction with HMGB1 mediates the fibrogenic response.