Figure 5.

The SGK1-dependent signaling pathway modulates the mitochondrial function of HK-2 cells upon oxidative stress. HK-2 cells transfected with scramble control (null) or SGK1 shRNA (shRNA-SGK1) for 72 h were incubated with 10 μM SB21 for 1 h and then treated with H₂O₂ (250 μM) for 2 h. (a) The mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) of the HK-2 cells was measured using the lipophilic cationic dye JC-1. (b) Cytochrome C release was examined by confocal microscopy in MitoTracker Red-labeled HK-2 cells. (c–e) The expression levels of Cytochrome C in the cytosolic and mitochondrial fractions of HK-2 cells were detected by western blot analysis. Data are presented as the mean ± SD (n = 3). ^∗P < 0.05, ^∗∗P < 0.01, and ^∗∗∗P < 0.001.