Effect of chronic kidney disease (CKD)-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress on mitochondria in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from CKD patients. (A) Expression of phospho-protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (p-PERK), protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), phospho-eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha (p-eIF2α), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α), and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) in human healthy-MSCs and MSCs isolated from CKD patients (CKD-MSCs); (B) The expression levels of p-PERK, p-eIF2α, and ATF4 were determined relative to the expression levels of PERK, eIF2α, and β-actin, respectively; (C) Expression of phospho-inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (p-IRE1α), inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1α), phospho-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and CCAAT-enhancer-binding proteins (C/EBP) homologous protein (CHOP) in healthy-MSCs and CKD-MSCs; (D) The expression levels of p-IRE1α, p-JNK, and CHOP were determined relative to the expression levels of IRE1α, JNK, and β-actin, respectively; (E) Mitochondria superoxide (MitoSOX)-positive MSCs isolated from healthy individuals (healthy-MSCs) and CKD-MSCs were quantified by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis; (F) Mitochondrial morphology was analyzed by immunofluorescence staining using MitoTracker (red). The scale bar = 100 μm; (G) Expression of phospho-dynamin 1-like protein (p-DRP1), mitofusin-1 (MFN1), and dynamin-like 120 kDa protein (OPA1) in healthy-MSCs and CKD-MSCs; (H) The expression levels were determined relative to the expression levels of β-actin. Values represent the mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM). ** p < 0.01 versus healthy-MSCs.