DNA Damage-inducible Transcript 4 Research Articles

YAP promotes global mRNA translation to fuel oncogenic growth despite starvation.

Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) play fundamental roles in stem/progenitor cell expansion during homeostasis, and their dysregulation often leads to tissue overgrowth. Here, we show that YAP activation is sufficient to overcome the restriction of global protein synthesis induced by serum starvation, enabling cells to sustain proliferation and survival despite an unfavorable environment. Mechanistically, YAP/TAZ selectively promoted the mTORC1-dependent translation of mRNAs containing 5' terminal oligopyrimidine (5'TOP) motifs, ultimately increasing the cellular polysome content. Interestingly, DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4), a negative regulator of mTORC1, was upregulated by serum starvation but repressed by YAP/TAZ. DDIT4 was sufficient to suppress the translation and transformative potential of uveal melanoma cells, which are often serum unresponsive due to G protein mutations. Our findings reveal a vital role for protein synthesis as a key modality of YAP/TAZ-induced oncogenic transformation and indicate the potential for targeting mTORC1 or translation to treat YAP/TAZ-driven malignancies.

Dietary protein re-alimentation following restriction improves protein deposition via changing amino acid metabolism and transcriptional profiling of muscle tissue in growing beef bulls

This study aimed to develop a compensatory growth model using growing beef cattle by changing dietary protein and to investigate the underlying mechanisms of compensatory protein deposition in muscle tissue. Twelve Charolais bulls were randomly assigned to one of two groups with two periods: 1) a control group (CON) fed a 13% crude protein (CP) diet for 6 weeks; 2) a treatment group (REC) fed a 7% CP diet for 4 weeks (restriction period) and fed a 13% CP diet in the following 2 weeks (re-alimentation period). Growth performance, digestibility, nitrogen balance, targeted metabolomics of amino acids (AA) in plasma, and transcriptional profiling in muscle tissue were analyzed. Protein restriction decreased average daily gain (ADG; P < 0.05), while protein re-alimentation increased ADG relative to the CON (P < 0.05). Compared to the CON, REC reduced retained N (P < 0.05), and protein re-alimentation increased retained N and N utilization efficiency (P < 0.05), due to reduced urinary urea, hippuric acid, and creatinine excretions (P < 0.05). Ruminal NH3-N in the REC was lower than that in the CON in the protein re-alimentation period (P < 0.05). However, there was no difference in microbial protein and plasma urea nitrogen concentrations. Dietary protein restriction decreased plasma valine and aspartic acid concentrations relative to the CON (P < 0.05), and increased proline and 3-methyl-L-histidine concentrations (P < 0.05). After dietary protein re-alimentation, REC increased plasma citrulline concentrations (P < 0.05). The transcriptional profiling revealed that REC upregulated the AA transporter SLC3A1, and protein re-alimentation downregulated SLC7A8 in the muscle cell membrane. Within the muscle cell, upregulated cytosolic arginine sensor for mTORC1 subunit 2 (CASTOR2) inhibited protein synthesis by inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 phosphorylation in the protein restriction period, while DNA-damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) activated the mTOR signaling pathway and promoted protein synthesis in the protein re-alimentation period. In summary, the targeted metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses demonstrated that protein re-alimentation following restriction can promote protein synthesis and reduce muscle breakdown by regulating AA metabolism and functional transcripts related to AA transporters and the mTOR signaling pathway.

SiRNA incorporated in slow-release injectable hydrogel continuously silences DDIT4 and regulates nucleus pulposus cell pyroptosis through the ROS/TXNIP/NLRP3 axis to alleviate intervertebral disc degeneration.

In this investigation, we administered oxidative stress to nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs), recognized DNA-damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) as a component in intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD), and devised a hydrogel capable of conveying small interfering RNA (siRNA) to IVDD. An in vitro model for oxidative stress-induced injury in NPCs was developed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the upregulation of DDIT4 expression, activation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP)-NLRP3 signalling pathway, and nucleus pulposus pyroptosis. Furthermore, the mechanism of action of small interfering DDIT4 (siDDIT4) on NPCs in vitro was validated. A triplex hydrogel named siDDIT4@G5-P-HA was created by adsorbing siDDIT4 onto fifth-generation polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer using van der Waals interactions, and then coating it with hyaluronic acid (HA). In addition, we established a rat puncture IVDD model to decipher the hydrogel's mechanism in IVDD. A correlation between DDIT4 expression levels and disc degeneration was shown with human nucleus pulposus and needle-punctured rat disc specimens. We confirmed that DDIT4 was responsible for activating the ROS-TXNIP-NLRP3 axis during oxidative stress-induced pyroptosis in rat nucleus pulposus in vitro. Mitochondria were damaged during oxidative stress, and DDIT4 contributed to mitochondrial damage and ROS production. In addition, siDDIT4@G5-P-HA hydrogels showed good delivery activity of siDDIT4 to NPCs. In vitro studies illustrated the potential of the siDDIT4@G5-P-HA hydrogel for alleviating IVDD in rats. DDIT4 is a key player in mediating pyroptosis and IVDD in NPCs through the ROS-TXNIP-NLRP3 axis. Additionally, siDDIT4@G5-P-HA hydrogel has been found to relieve IVDD in rats. Our research offers an innovative treatment option for IVDD.

MicroRNA-642a-5p Targets DNA Damage-Inducible Transcript 4 to Suppress Hepatitis B Virus Hepatoma Carcinoma Cell

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors in clinical practice, with hepatitis B virus (HBV) being the most common risk factor for HCC. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as a new marker for disease diagnosis and molecularly targeted therapies; however, the mechanism of miR-642a-5p in HBV-associated HCC remains unclear. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of miR-642a-5p, which targets DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4), in HBV-associated HCC, and its effect on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HBV-positive HCC cells. Methods: miR-642a-5p in the serum of patients with HBV-associated liver cancer (LC), as well as miR-642a-5p and DDIT4 mRNA in LC tissues and cells, and HBV DNA in HBV-positive cells were detected. The targeting of DDIT4 by miR-642a-5p and the progression of cells were also examined. All cell experiments were repeated five times. Results: The results indicated that levels of miR-642a-5p were decreased, while levels of DDIT4 were increased in the serum, tissues, and cells of HBV-positive HCC patients. Overexpression of miR-642a-5p inhibited the progression of HBV-positive HCC cells, suppressed HBV DNA replication, cell proliferation, and invasion, and promoted apoptosis in HepG2.2.15 cells. Conclusions: In addition, miR-642a-5p directly targeted DDIT4, and knockdown of DDIT4 reversed the effects of miR-642a-5p upregulation, promoting the progression of HBV-positive HCC cells. In conclusion, miR-642a-5p is expressed at low levels in HBV-associated HCC and inhibits HBV DNA replication and tumor progression in HBV-positive HCC by targeting DDIT4. This study provides a foundation for molecular targeted therapy in HBV-positive HCC.

Phenformin activates ER stress to promote autophagic cell death via NIBAN1 and DDIT4 in oral squamous cell carcinoma independent of AMPK

The efficient clinical treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is still a challenge that demands the development of effective new drugs. Phenformin has been shown to produce more potent anti-tumor activities than metformin on different tumors, however, not much is known about the influence of phenformin on OSCC cells. We found that phenformin suppresses OSCC cell proliferation, and promotes OSCC cell autophagy and apoptosis to significantly inhibit OSCC cell growth both in vivo and in vitro. RNA-seq analysis revealed that autophagy pathways were the main targets of phenformin and identified two new targets DDIT4 (DNA damage inducible transcript 4) and NIBAN1 (niban apoptosis regulator 1). We found that phenformin significantly induces the expression of both DDIT4 and NIBAN1 to promote OSCC autophagy. Further, the enhanced expression of DDIT4 and NIBAN1 elicited by phenformin was not blocked by the knockdown of AMPK but was suppressed by the knockdown of transcription factor ATF4 (activation transcription factor 4), which was induced by phenformin treatment in OSCC cells. Mechanistically, these results revealed that phenformin triggers endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress to activate PERK (protein kinase R-like ER kinase), which phosphorylates the transitional initial factor eIF2, and the increased phosphorylation of eIF2 leads to the increased translation of ATF4. In summary, we discovered that phenformin induces its new targets DDIT4 and especially NIBAN1 to promote autophagic and apoptotic cell death to suppress OSCC cell growth. Our study supports the potential clinical utility of phenformin for OSCC treatment in the future.

Mechanism of miR-221-3p inhibiting cadmium-induced apoptosis of TM3 cells through DDIT4

To investigate the mechanism of DNA-damage-inducible transcript 4(DDIT4)targeting miR-221-3p in microRNA(miRNA) on cadmium-induced apoptosis of mouse testicular stromal cells. The activity of mouse testicular interstitial cells(TM3) was detected by CCK-8 after exposure to different concentrations of cadmium(0, 10, 20, 30, 40 μmol/L). Total RNA was extracted from cadmium-treated TM3 cells, and the significantly differentially expressed miRNA was screened with fold change(FC)&gt;1.2 and P&lt;0.05 as the criterion. TM3 cells were divided into blank control group, negative control group, cadmium exposure group(CdCl_2, 20 μmol/L), and cadmium+miR-221-3p mimic group. miR-221-3p mimic group was transfected into TM3 cells first, combined with cadmium exposure for 24 hours. The cell morphology was detected by Hoechst staining, and the apoptosis rate was analyzed by flow cytometry. Quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to detect DDIT4 expression. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay verified the binding of miR-221-3p to DDIT4. The function of DDIT4 and its relationship with apoptosis were analyzed by bioinformatics. The expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associated X protein(BAX) were observed after overexpression of miR-221-3p. Cadmium treatment of TM3 cells could reduce cell activity and there was a dose-effect relationship. The cell morphology showed that compared with the control group, the cells were wrinkled and the nuclei were heavily stained, and the apoptosis rate increased to 19.66%±0.45%(P&lt;0.01). Compared with the cadmium exposure group, the normal morphologic cells increased in the cadmium exposure +miR-221-3p mimic group, and the apoptosis rate decreased to 13.76%±0.37%(P&lt;0.05). The expression level of miR-221-3p was down-regulated(P&lt;0.01), and the expression level of DDIT4 was up-regulated(P&lt;0.05). Bioinformatics analysis and dual luciferase report analysis showed that DDIT4 was one of the target genes of miR-221-3p. Compared with the cadmium exposure group, the expression level of DDIT4 in the cadmium+miR-221-3p mimic group was down-regulated(P&lt;0.05), and the ratio of Bcl-2/BAX was increased from 0.54±0.03 to 0.71±0.04. miR-221-3p inhibits cadmium-induced apoptosis of TM3 cells by targeting DDIT4.

Pan-cancer analysis of DDIT4 identifying its prognostic value and function in acute myeloid leukemia

BackgroundAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematological malignancy derived from the accumulation of abnormal proliferation of infantile leukocytes in the hematopoietic system. DNA-damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) acting as a negative regulator of rapamycin inhibitor is involved in various cellular functions. Many studies have suggested that DDIT4 plays a key role in tumorigenesis. However, the role of DDIT4 in AML has been poorly studied.MethodIn this study, we analyzed the expression of DDIT4 in AML patients using The Cancer Genome Atlas and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The Chi-square test was used to assess the correlation between DDIT4 and clinical characters in AML patients. Loss-of-function experiments were implemented to investigate the role of DDIT4 in AML carcinogenesis. The R package was applied to evaluate the correlation between DDIT4 expression and immune cells.ResultsResults showed that the expression of DDIT4 was associated with Age, Cytogenetic risk, Cytogenetics and OS event. Moreover, high expression of DDIT4 led to a terrible prognosis. KEGG analysis showed that differently expressed genes (DEGs) were involved in the PI3-Akt signaling pathway. GSEA enrichment analysis displayed DEGs were correlated with apoptosis. Functional experiments presented that knocking down DDIT4 suppressed cell cycle transition/proliferation and facilitated apoptosis. In addition, DDIT4 is associated with immune infiltration.ConclusionOur research verified that DDIT4 can be used as a prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target for AML.

Romidepsin exhibits anti-esophageal squamous cell carcinoma activity through the DDIT4-mTORC1 pathway.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common human malignancies worldwide and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Current treatment options are limited, highlighting the need for development of novel effective agents. Here, a high-throughput drug screening (HTS) was performed using ESCC cell lines in both two- and three-dimensional culture systems to screen compounds that have anti-ESCC activity. Our screen identified romidepsin, a histone deactylase inhibitor, as a potential anti-ESCC agent. Romidepsin treatment decreased cell viability, induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in ESCC cell lines, and these findings were confirmed in ESCC cell line-derived xenografted (CDX) mouse models. Mechanically, romidepsin induced transcriptional upregulation of DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) gene by histone hyperacetylation at its promoter region, leading to the inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway. Furthermore, romidepsin exhibited better efficacy and safety compared to the conventional therapeutic drugs in ESCC patient-derived xenografted (PDX) mouse models. These data indicate that romidepsin may be a novel option for anti-ESCC therapy.

Mechanisms driving fasting-induced protection from genotoxic injury in the small intestine.

Genotoxic agents such as doxorubicin (DXR) can cause damage to the intestines that can be ameliorated by fasting. How fasting is protective and the optimal timing of fasting and refeeding remain unclear. Here, our analysis of fasting/refeeding-induced global intestinal transcriptional changes revealed metabolic shifts and implicated the cellular energetic hub mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) in protecting from DXR-induced DNA damage. Our analysis of specific transcripts and proteins in intestinal tissue and tissue extracts showed that fasting followed by refeeding at the time of DXR administration reduced damage and caused a spike in mTORC1 activity. However, continued fasting after DXR prevented the mTORC1 spike and damage reduction. Surprisingly, the mTORC1 inhibitor, rapamycin, did not block fasting/refeeding-induced reduction in DNA damage, suggesting that increased mTORC1 is dispensable for protection against the initial DNA damage response. In Ddit4-/- mice [DDIT4 (DNA-damage-inducible transcript 4) functions to regulate mTORC1 activity], fasting reduced DNA damage and increased intestinal crypt viability vs. ad libitum-fed Ddit4-/- mice. Fasted/refed Ddit4-/- mice maintained body weight, with increased crypt proliferation by 5 days post-DXR, whereas ad libitum-fed Ddit4-/- mice continued to lose weight and displayed limited crypt proliferation. Genes encoding epithelial stem cell and DNA repair proteins were elevated in DXR-injured, fasted vs. ad libitum Ddit4-/- intestines. Thus, fasting strongly reduced intestinal damage when normal dynamic regulation of mTORC1 was lost. Overall, the results confirm that fasting protects the intestines against DXR and suggests that fasting works by pleiotropic - including both mTORC1-dependent and independent - mechanisms across the temporally dynamic injury response.NEW & NOTEWORTHY New findings are 1) DNA damage reduction following a 24-h fast depends on the timing of postfast refeeding in relation to chemotherapy initiation; 2) fasting/refeeding-induced upregulation of mTORC1 activity is not required for early (6 h) protection against DXR-induced DNA damage; and 3) fasting increases expression of intestinal stem cell and DNA damage repair genes, even when mTORC1 is dysregulated, highlighting fasting's crucial role in regulating mTORC1-dependent and independent mechanisms in the dynamic recovery process.

Nuclear overexpression of DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) is associated with aggressive tumor behavior in patients with pancreatic tumors

DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) is induced in various cellular stress conditions. Several studies showed that the dysregulation of DDIT4 is involved in different malignancies with paradoxical expressions and roles. Therefore, this study investigated the clinical significance, prognostic, and diagnostic value of DDIT4 in different types of pancreatic tumors (PT). The expression of DDIT4 and long non-coding RNA (TPTEP1) in mRNA level was examined in 27 fresh PT samples using Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Moreover, 200 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded PT tissues, as well as 27 adjacent normal tissues, were collected to evaluate the clinical significance, prognostic, and diagnosis value of DDIT4 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on tissue microarrays (TMA) slides. The results of RT-qPCR showed that the expression of DDIT4 in tumor samples was higher than in normal samples which was associated with high tumor grade (P = 0.015) and lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.048). Similar to this, IHC findings for nucleus, cytoplasm, and membrane localization showed higher expression of DDIT4 protein in PT samples rather than in nearby normal tissues. A statistically significant association was detected between a high level of nuclear expression of DDIT4 protein, and lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.025), as well as advanced TNM stage (P = 0.034) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET), respectively. In contrast, a low level of membranous expression of DDIT4 protein showed a significant association with advanced histological grade (P = 0.011), margin involvement (P = 0.007), perineural invasion (P = 0.023), as well as lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.005) in PDAC. No significant association was found between survival outcomes and expression of DDIT4 in both types. It was found that DDIT4 has rational accuracy and high sensitivity as a diagnostic marker. Our results revealed a paradoxical role of DDIT4 expression protein based on the site of nuclear and membranous expression. The findings of this research indicated that there is a correlation between elevated nuclear expression of DDIT4 and the advancement and progression of disease in patients with PT. Conversely, high membranous expression of DDIT4 was associated with less aggressive tumor behavior in patients with PDAC. However, further studies into the prognostic value and biological function of DDIT4 are needed in future studies.

Comparative analysis of single-cell transcriptome reveals heterogeneity in the tumor microenvironment of lung adenocarcinoma and brain metastases

PurposeSolid tumors such as lung adenocarcinoma include not only the tumor cells but also the microenvironment in which the tumor cells continuously interact with each other. An in-depth understanding of the oncological features and tumor microenvironment (TME) of lung adenocarcinoma and brain metastases at the single-cell level could provide new therapeutic strategies for brain metastases from lung adenocarcinoma.MethodsTo solve this problem, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis on 15 lung adenocarcinoma samples and 10 brain metastasis samples.ResultsA total of 86,282 single cells were obtained and divided into 8 cell types, including epithelial cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, oligodendrocytes, T/NK cells, B cells, mast cells, and macrophages. In brain metastases, we found a significantly lower proportion of T/NK cells and mast cells, and more severe immune dysregulation. In addition, we found a subpopulation of macrophages with high expression of metastasis-promoting-related genes enriched in brain metastatic tissues. Moreover, in brain metastases, we found a significantly increased proportion of myofibroblastic cancer-associated fibroblasts (myCAFs) and a higher angiogenic capacity of endothelial cells. Epithelial cells in brain metastases were more malignant and underwent genomic reprogramming. Next, we found that DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) expression was upregulated in epithelial cells in brain metastases and was associated with poor prognosis. Finally, we experimentally validated that the downregulation of DDIT4 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of lung cancer cells.ConclusionsThis study depicts a single-cell atlas of lung adenocarcinoma and brain metastases by scRNA-seq and paves the way for the development of future therapeutic targets for brain metastases from lung cancer.

A programmed cell death-related model based on machine learning for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy responses in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains one of the most common and lethal malignancies with poor prognosis. Programmed cell death (PCD) is an evolutionarily conserved cell suicide process that regulates tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis of cancer cells. However, a comprehensive analysis of the role of PCD in LUAD is still unavailable. We analyzed multi-omic variations in PCD-related genes (PCDRGs) for LUAD. We used cross-validation of 10 machine learning algorithms (101 combinations) to synthetically develop and validate an optimal prognostic cell death score (CDS) model based on the PCDRGs expression profile. Patients were classified based on their median CDS values into the high and low-CDS groups. Next, we compared the differences in the genomics, biological functions, and tumor microenvironment of patients between both groups. In addition, we assessed the ability of CDS for predicting the response of patients from the immunotherapy cohort to immunotherapy. Finally, functional validation of key genes in CDS was performed. We constructed CDS based on four PCDRGs, which could effectively and consistently stratify patients with LUAD (patients with high CDS had poor prognoses). The performance of our CDS was superior compared to 77 LUAD signatures that have been previously published. The results revealed significant genetic alterations like mutation count, TMB, and CNV were observed in patients with high CDS. Furthermore, we observed an association of CDS with immune cell infiltration, microsatellite instability, SNV neoantigens. The immune status of patients with low CDS was more active. In addition, CDS could be reliable to predict therapeutic response in multiple immunotherapy cohorts. In vitro experiments revealed that high DNA damage inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) expression in LUAD cells mediated protumor effects. CDS was constructed based on PCDRGs using machine learning. This model could accurately predict patients' prognoses and their responses to therapy. These results provide new promising tools for clinical management and aid in designing personalized treatment strategies for patients with LUAD.

Resveratrol improves palmitic acid‑induced insulin resistance via the DDIT4/mTOR pathway in C2C12 cells.

The present study aimed to establish a model of palmitic acid (PA)‑induced insulin resistance (IR) in C2C12 cells and to determine the mechanism underlying how resveratrol (RSV) improves IR. C2C12 cells were divided into the control (CON), PA, PA + RSV, PA + RSV + DNA damage‑inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4)‑small interfering (si)RNA and PA + RSV + MHY1485 (mTOR agonist) groups. Glucose contents in culture medium and triglyceride contents in cells were determined. Oil red O staining was performed to observe the pathological changes in the cells. Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blotting were conducted to evaluate the mRNA and protein expression levels, respectively, of DDIT4, mTOR, p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K), insulin receptor substrate (IRS)‑1, PI3K, AKT and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4). Compared with in the CON group, glucose uptake was decreased, cellular lipid deposition was increased, phosphorylated (p)‑IRS‑1, p‑mTOR and p‑p70S6K protein expression levels were increased, and p‑PI3K, p‑AKT, GLUT4 and DDIT4 protein expression levels were decreased in the PA group. By contrast, compared with in the PA group, culture medium glucose content and cellular lipid deposition were decreased, p‑PI3K, p‑AKT, GLUT4 and DDIT4 protein expression levels were increased, p‑IRS‑1 protein expression levels were decreased, and mTOR and p70S6K mRNA and protein expression levels were decreased in the PA + RSV group. Compared with in the PA + RSV group, DDIT4 protein and mRNA expression levels were reduced in the PA + RSV + DDIT4‑siRNA group, but showed no change in the PA + RSV + MHY1485 group. Following transfection with DDIT4‑siRNA or treatment with MHY1485, the effects of RSV on improving IR and lipid metabolism were weakened, mTOR and p70S6K protein expression levels were upregulated, p‑PI3K, p‑AKT and GLUT4 protein expression levels were down‑regulated, p‑IRS‑1 protein expression levels were upregulated, and culture medium glucose content and cellular lipid deposition were increased. In conclusion, RSV may improve PA‑induced IR in C2C12 cells through the DDIT4/mTOR/IRS‑1/PI3K/AKT/GLUT4 signaling pathway, as well as via improvements in glucose and lipid metabolism.

DDIT4 Facilitates Lymph Node Metastasis via the Activation of NF-κB Pathway and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

This study was aimed to identify a novel metastasis-promoting molecule and elucidate its functional and prognostic roles in cervical cancer. DDIT4 (DNA-damage-inducible transcript 4), a hypoxia-inducible gene, was identified by analyzing multiple microarray databases. The correlation between DDIT4 expression in immunohistochemistry and clinicopathological characteristics in the public database and our cohort was evaluated by statistical analysis. Transwell® assay and wound-healing assay to determine cell migration and invasion were performed. DDIT4 was knocked down using siRNA or lentiviral vectors. The potential downstream pathways of DDIT4 were explored and verified by a gene set enrichment analysis and western blotting. The in vivo metastatic capability was determined with the use of an intraperitoneal injection mouse model. Inthe analysis ofthe public database and our cohort, DDIT4 high expression was significantly related to short overall survival and lymph node metastasis in patients with early-stage cervical cancer. The knockdown of DDIT4 attenuated the migration and invasion activity of tumor cells in vitro and reduced the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins and the NF-κB pathway in cervical cancer cells. DDIT4 also promoted tumor progression in the mouse model. Our results indicate that DDIT4 can be a prognostic indicator in cervical cancer and promote lymph node metastasis, augmenting malignancy via the EMT and NF-kB pathways.

Up-Regulation of miR-9-5p Inhibits Hypoxia-Ischemia Brain Damage Through the DDIT4-Mediated Autophagy Pathways in Neonatal Mice.

Hypoxia-ischemia (HI) remains the leading cause of cerebral palsy and long-term neurological sequelae in infants. Despite intensive research and many therapeutic approaches, there are limited neuroprotective strategies against HI insults. Herein, we reported that HI insult significantly down-regulated microRNA-9-5p (miR-9-5p) level in the ipsilateral cortex of neonatal mice. The biological function and expression patterns of protein in the ischemic hemispheres were evaluated by qRT-PCR, Western Blotting analysis, Immunofluorescence and Immunohistochemistry. Open field test and Y-maze test were applied to detect locomotor activity and exploratory behavior and working memory. Overexpression of miR-9-5p effectively alleviated brain injury and improved neurological behaviors following HI insult, accompanying with suppressed neuroinflammation and apoptosis. MiR-9-5p directly bound to the 3' untranslated region of DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) and negatively regulated its expression. Furthermore, miR-9-5p mimics treatment down-regulated light chain 3 II/light chain 3 I (LC3 II/LC3 I) ratio and Beclin-1 expression and decreased LC3B accumulation in the ipsilateral cortex. Further analysis showed that DDIT4 knockdown conspicuously inhibited the HI-up-regulated LC3 II/ LC3 I ratio and Beclin-1 expression, associating with attenuated brain damage. The study indicates that miR-9-5p-mediated HI injury is regulated by DDIT4-mediated autophagy pathway and up-regulation of miR-9-5p level may provide a potential therapeutic effect on HI brain damage.

DDIT4 promotes malignancy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

This study investigated the cancer-promoting effect of ferroptosis regulator DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) and its relevant mechanisms. Vital ferroptosis-related genes were identified using bioinformatic methods on the basis of data collected from TCGA and seven other online databases. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), colony formation, wound-healing and transwell assays, and western blot analysis were conducted for verifying the biological role of DDIT4 in vitro. The immune score and tumor purity were calculated using R package "estimate." The relationship was identified between DDIT4 expression and immune cell infiltration using ssGSEA and CIBERSORT algorithms. R package "Seurat" was used to perform unsupervised clustering of the single cells, and "SingleR" was utilized for annotation. R package "STUtility" was employed to plot the spatial expression of DDIT4. For trajectory analysis, monocle was used to predict cell differentiation and demonstrate the expression of DDIT4 at each state. Here, DDIT4 overexpression was observed in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) cohort, and DDIT4 upregulation showed a positive correlation with larger tumor size, lymph node metastasis, more advanced TNM stage and higher tumor mutational burden (TMB). Moreover, DDIT4 knockdown could markedly inhibit the proliferation, colony formation, invasion and migration of HNSCC cells, as well as suppress the expression of HIF-1a, VEGF and vimentin. In comparison, DDIT4 overexpression showed a negative correlation with immune score and infiltrations of several immune cells. DDIT4 played crucial roles in the differentiation of CAFs and T cells. Collectively, this study demonstrates that DDIT4 contributes a critical role in HNSCC progression. The positive feedback regulation between DDIT4 and HIF-1a may be a potential target for HNSCC treatment.

Overexpression of LINC00551 promotes autophagy-dependent ferroptosis of lung adenocarcinoma via upregulating DDIT4 by sponging miR-4328.

According to mounting evidence, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a vital role in regulated cell death (RCD). A potential strategy for cancer therapy involves triggering ferroptosis, a novel form of RCD. Although it is thought to be an autophagy-dependent process, it is still unclear how the two processes interact. This study characterized a long intergenic noncoding RNA, LINC00551, expressed at a low level in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and some other cancers. Overexpression of LINC00551 suppresses cell viability while promoting autophagy and RSL-3-induced ferroptosis in LUAD cells. LINC00551 acts as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) and binds with miR-4328 which up-regulates the target DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4). DDIT4 inhibits the activity of mTOR, promotes LUAD autophagy, and then promotes the ferroptosis of LUAD cells in an autophagy-dependent manner. This study provided an insight into the molecular mechanism regulating ferroptosis and highlighted LINC00551 as a potential therapeutic target for LUAD.

Circulating levels of DDIT4 and mTOR, and contributions of BMI, inflammation and insulin sensitivity in hyperlipidemia.

Evidence shows a high incidence of insulin resistance, inflammation and excess body mass index (BMI) in adults with hyperlipidemia. The present study aimed to determine the circulating levels of DNA damage inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) and mTOR and assess the contributions of lipids, inflammatory markers, insulin sensitivity and BMI in hyperlipidemia. The study subjects were divided into a hyperlipidemia group and a normal control group (n=55 per group). Sex, age, blood pressure, waist circumference (WC), height, weight and BMI were recorded. Fasting venous blood samples were collected and an automatic biochemical analyzer was used to detect fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (FINS), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Quantitative ELISA kits were used to determine the levels of DDIT4, mTOR and inflammatory markers and calculate the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Compared with the normal control group, the hyperlipidemia group had significantly increased blood pressure, WC, weight, BMI, FBG, FINS, HOMA-IR, mTOR and inflammatory markers, but significantly reduced DDIT4. A concurrent correlation analysis showed that insulin resistance was positively correlated with blood pressure, BMI, lipid profiles (TG, TC, LDL-C), mTOR and inflammatory markers, but negatively correlated with HDL-C and DDIT4. Lipid profiles were positively correlated with BMI, mTOR and inflammatory markers, but negatively correlated with DDIT4. A factor analysis identified four domains in hyperlipidemia (inflammation-lipid 1 domain, 44.429%; overweight domain, 21.695%; insulin sensitivity domain, 11.782%; lipid 2 domain, 6.723%). In conclusion, people with hyperlipidemia have elevated mTOR and reduced DDIT4 and are accompanied by abnormal indicators such as insulin sensitivity, BMI and inflammatory factors. The identified domains may be applied to predict the outcomes of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases in the future.

Histone deacetylase 4 reverses cellular senescence via DDIT4 in dermal fibroblasts

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) remove acetyl groups from lysine chains on histones and other proteins and play a crucial role in epigenetic regulation and aging. Previously, we demonstrated that HDAC4 is consistently downregulated in aged and ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated human skin in vivo. Cellular senescence is a permanent cell cycle arrest induced by various stressors. To elucidate the potential role of HDAC4 in the regulation of cellular senescence and skin aging, we established oxidative stress- and UV-induced cellular senescence models using primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). RNA sequencing after overexpression or knockdown of HDAC4 in primary HDFs identified candidate molecular targets of HDAC4. Integrative analyses of our current and public mRNA expression profiles identified DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) as a critical senescence-associated factor regulated by HDAC4. Indeed, DDIT4 and HDAC4 expressions were downregulated during oxidative stress- and UV-induced senescence. HDAC4 overexpression rescued the senescence-induced decrease in DDIT4 and senescence phenotype, which were prevented by DDIT4 knockdown. In addition, DDIT4 overexpression reversed changes in senescence-associated secretory phenotypes and aging-related genes, suggesting that DDIT4 mediates the reversal of cellular senescence via HDAC4. Collectively, our results identify DDIT4 as a promising target regulated by HDAC4 associated with cellular senescence and epigenetic skin aging.

Resveratrol inhibits the proliferation, invasion, and migration, and induces the apoptosis of human gastric cancer cells through the MALAT1/miR-383-5p/DDIT4 signaling pathway.

We aimed to study the effects and potential mechanism of resveratrol (RS) in gastric cancer (GC). The human GC cell line SGC7901 was treated with different concentrations of RS (0, 1, 5 µM) for 24 hours. The messenger ribonucleic acid or protein expressions levels of metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), micro ribonucleic acid-383-5p (miR-383-5p), and DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) in GC cells were determined by Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain assays. Cells were then transfected with miR-383-5p inhibitor (inhibitor), inhibitor negative control (NC), MALAT1-interfering RNA (si-MALAT1), si-DDIT4 and negative interference control (si-NC). The Cell Counting Kit-8 method, scratch assay, and transwell assay were performed to evaluate cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Additionally, flow cytometry was used to examine apoptosis, and the target relationship was examined by a luciferase-reporter gene analysis. RS treatment downregulated the expression of MALAT1, repressed cell proliferation, inhibited cell migration and invasion (all P<0.05), and induced apoptosis (P<0.05) in GC cells. When the cells were treated with RS and inhibited the expression of MALAT1 meanwhile, the above anti-cancer effects were more significant (all P<0.05). Target prediction and the luciferase-reporter gene analysis showed that MALAT1 targeted miR-383-5p (P<0.05). When suppressing the expression of MALAT1 and miR-383-5p, the anti-cancer effects caused by the silencing of MALAT1 were absent (all P<0.05). We also found that miR-383-5p targeted DDIT4 protein. When the expression of miR-383-5p and DDIT4 in the GC cells was inhibited, the promoting cancer effects caused by the inhibition of miR-383-5p were reversed (all P<0.05). This study found that RS inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human GC cells through the metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1)/miR-383-5p/DDIT4 pathway and induced apoptosis.