DDIT3

DDIT3, DNA damage-inducible transcript 3, alias CHOP, GADD153, is a transcription factor with a key regulatory role in cellular stress response, especially endoplasmic reticulum stress. It promotes autophagy-related gene expression by interacting with ATF4 and activates cellular autophagy by inhibiting the mTOR signaling pathway.DDIT3 is also involved in apoptosis, inducing mitochondria-associated apoptosis by regulating the Bcl-2 family and C/EBPδ. DDIT3 plays an important role in the regulation of autophagy and apoptosis in tumor cells, and its aberrant expression may increase the sensitivity of tumor cells to therapy and is a potential target for tumor therapy. Under glutamine starvation conditions, DDIT3 balances glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation through a dual mechanism, reduces reactive oxygen species production, and helps tumor cells to adapt to metabolic stress, demonstrating its biological significance in the metabolic regulation of tumor cells.