Figure 6.

High-protein diet (HPD) increases cytoplasmic dsDNA content by promoting mitochondrial damage. (A) Immunostaining of dsDNA and Tomm20 (a mitochondrial marker) in the atrial tissue of four groups of mice. White arrows point to the cytoplasmic dsDNA signal that overlapped with Tomm20 but not with DAPI. (B) Cytoplasmic dsDNA levels in atrial lysates of WT and Aim2^−/− mice subjected to NC or HPD, respectively. (C) Representative images of MitoSOX staining in atrial myocytes. (D) Aggregated analysis of MitoSOX intensity. The number of cells analyzed in each group is as follows: 55 in WT-NC, 43 in WT-HPD, 34 in Aim2^−/−-NC, and 26 in Aim2^−/−-HPD. * p < 0.05, *** p < 0.001. p-values were determined by ordinary one-way ANOVA with Sidak’s multiple comparisons test in (B) and Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparisons test in (D).