The transcriptome-level level of ITGB8 was found to be lower in the DN group than in the control group (Fig. 3A); among patients with DN at different age stages, ITGB8 expression was downregulated in the 50 to 80-year-old compared with normal peers (Fig. 3B); eGFR expression was lowest at levels of 15–29 ml-min 1.73 m2, when patients were in the kidney failure phase (Fig. 3C). Here, ITGB8 is linked to kidney failure.