TAT-Beclin 1-induced mitophagy alleviates cardiac dysfunction in response to TAC in ulk1cKO. (A–G) 3- to 4-month-old WT and ulk1cKO mice were subjected to either sham operation or TAC for 7 days. TAT-Beclin 1 peptide was injected on a daily basis from 1 day before TAC surgery until 7 days after TAC, as described in (A). Representative echocardiographs. Scale bars, vertical 2.5 mm and horizontal 250 ms (B). % of LVEF was evaluated by echocardiography. Mean values ± S.E., *P < 0.05. Statistical analyses were conducted with two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test (C). (D–G) Heart samples from mice subjected to TAC for 3 days were subjected to electron microscopic analyses. Representative EM images are shown. Arrowheads indicate autolysosomes (D) (Scale bar, 2 μm). Mitophagy/autophagy activity was quantified. Mean values ± S.E., **P < 0.01. Statistical analyses were conducted with two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test (E). Mitochondria aspect ratios were quantified. Mean values ± S.E.; **P < 0.01. Statistical analyses were conducted with two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test (F). Mitochondria were categorized by the morphology of cristae and quantified. The percentage of structured or irregular cristae and empty mitochondria were quantified (n = 3–6 each group) (E).