Fig. 4.

Phenotypes of WNK4^−/− mice. (a, b) The body weights (a) and body lengths (b) of 8-week-old WT and WNK4^−/− mice on a normal diet (n = 8–9 per group). WNK4^−/− mice exhibited lower average body weights but similar body lengths. (c) Total food intake was comparable between WT and WNK4^−/− mice during a day (n = 5–6 per group). (d) Real-time PCR analyzes of adipogenic genes in the adipose tissue (n = 5–6 per group). (e) Body weight increases for WT and WNK4^−/− male mice fed a HFD (n = 5–7). WNK4^−/− mice exhibited lower body weights on a HFD. (f) Organ weights of the mice fed HFDs (n = 8–9 per group). The weights of epididymal (eWAT) and subcutaneous (sWAT) fat in WNK4^−/− mice were significantly lower compared to those of WT mice. (g) Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining of adipose sections from WT and WNK4^−/− mice. Scale bar, 50 μm. (h) The quantification of adipocyte size is shown (n = 200 cells per group). (i) The average adipocyte size of WNK4^−/− mice was smaller than that of WT mice. Values are expressed as mean ± 95%CI. *P < 0.05.