Dysregulation of Akt phosphorylation and subsequent FoxO1 phosphorylation in podocytes was associated with its susceptibility to apoptosis, suggesting that the inability of podocyte to respond to insulin partially accounts for the decreased podocyte number seen in early DKD (Tejada et al., 2008; Katsoulieris et al., 2016). Here, FOXO1 is linked to diabetic kidney disease.