Fig. 1: An accumulation of LC3-II in podocytes in patients with DKD.

a Representative images of immunofluorescence assays of LC3 (green) in podocytes on kidney biopsy specimens from DKD patients (patients 1–5) and controls (controls 1–5). The podocytes in glomeruli were identified by synaptopodin (red), a podocyte-specific protein. The nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue). White arrows indicate the expression of LC3-positive puncta in podocytes. Scale bar, 25 μm. b The score of LC3-II expression in podocytes of DKD patients and controls. The expression of LC3-II was increased in podocytes in patients with DKD