Fig. 3

ELF4 deficiency aggravated apoptosis. A In WT and ELF4-/- mice, TUNEL staining was applied to survey renal cell apoptosis. B Bax and Bcl-2 protein levels were detected by way of western blot in kidney tissues of WT and ELF4-/- mice. C HK-2 cell viability was ascertained by way of CCK-8 assay. D Flow cytometry was carried out to assess cell apoptosis in HK-2 cells. Mouse n = 5. Cell n = 3. * p < 0.05 WT sham or control group, # p < 0.05 ELF4^−/− sham, WT I/R, or OGD/R group