DDIT4 expression in cutaneous basal cell carcinoma and its regulation on cell proliferation and autophagy flux

Abstract:

Objective：To explore the expression of DDIT4（DNA damage-inducible transcript 4） in human cutaneous basal cell carcinoma（BCC） tissues and its regulating effects on cellular protein synthesis，proliferation and autophagy flux of the downstream signals involved in. Methods：Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the expressions of DDIT4，pS6K1，p4E-BP1 and LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ in 15 cases of human skin BCC and 15 cases of normal skin tissues respectively. Results：The expression of DDIT4（0.247±0.152，P=0.005） in BCC was significantly inhibited as compared with that in the normal tissues. Meanwhile the expression of p4E-BP1（0.290±0.169，P=0.015） and ratio of LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ（0.692±0.154，P=0.007） were decreased，but the expression of pS6K1 （0.837±0.050，P=0.000） was significantly increased. Conclusion：DDIT4 expression is inhibited in human BCC cells，which may promote the downstream protein synthesis and proliferation，and inhibit the autophagy flux through the mTORC1 pathway to finally involve in the pathogenesis and development of BCC. DDIT4 and its downstream signals may serve as target for the further treatment and prognosis of BCC.