Fig. 4: Validation of the selected proteins in independent samples.

a-d Protein expression levels of the five selected proteins (SORT1, CARL, RAB1A, COX2, and NDUFS3) in T2DM and nondiabetic samples. SORT1, CARL, and RAB1A were upregulated in high fat diet-fed mice (diabetic conditions) compared with normal chow diet-fed mice (nondiabetic conditions), whereas COX2 and NDUFS3 were downregulated. Total proteins (a; WCL) and mitochondria fractions (b; Mito) were prepared from skeletal muscle tissues of normal chow diet- and high fat diet-fed mice (n = 11). Furthermore, total proteins (c; WCL) and mitochondria fractions (d; Mito) were prepared from human skeletal muscle tissues of T2DM patients (n = 14) and nondiabetic controls (n = 12). The data are shown as the mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 by the Mann–Whitney test