They treated podocytes with puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN, 60 μg/mL), known to cause podocyte injury, for 6 hours, the results of flow cytometry demonstrated that the number of apoptotic podocytes was markedly increased in PAN group compared to control group, but overexpression of KLF5 by transfection with pCDNA3.1‐KLF5 plasmid in podocytes decreased the number of PAN‐induced apoptotic podocytes. This evidence concerns the gene KLF5 and polyarteritis nodosa.