DNA-PKcs/AKT1 inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition during radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis by inducing ubiquitination and degradation of Twist1.

Autor: Yan Z; Beijing Key Laboratory for Radiobiology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China., Zhu J; Beijing Key Laboratory for Radiobiology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China., Liu Y; Beijing Key Laboratory for Radiobiology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China., Li Z; State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China., Liang X; Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, China., Zhou S; Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, China., Hou Y; College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, China., Chen H; Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, China., Zhou L; Beijing Key Laboratory for Radiobiology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China., Wang P; Beijing Key Laboratory for Radiobiology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China., Ao X; Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, China., Gao S; Beijing Key Laboratory for Radiobiology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China., Huang X; Beijing Key Laboratory for Radiobiology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China., Zhou PK; Beijing Key Laboratory for Radiobiology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China., Gu Y; Beijing Key Laboratory for Radiobiology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China.; Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, China.; College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, China.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Clinical and translational medicine [Clin Transl Med] 2024 May; Vol. 14 (5), pp. e1690.
DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.1690
Abstrakt: Introduction: Radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF) is a chronic, progressive, irreversible lung interstitial disease that develops after radiotherapy. Although several previous studies have focused on the mechanism of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung epithelial cells, the essential factors involved in this process remain poorly understood. The DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) exhibits strong repair capacity when cells undergo radiation-induced damage; whether DNA-PKcs regulates EMT during RIPF remains unclear.
Objectives: To investigate the role and molecular mechanism of DNA-PKcs in RIPF and provide an important theoretical basis for utilising DNA-PKcs-targeted drugs for preventing RIPF.
Methods: DNA-PKcs knockout (DPK -/- ) mice were generated via the Cas9/sgRNA technique and subjected to whole chest ionizing radiation (IR) at a 20 Gy dose. Before whole chest IR, the mice were intragastrically administered the DNA-PKcs-targeted drug VND3207. Lung tissues were collected at 1 and 5 months after IR.
Results: The expression of DNA-PKcs is low in pulmonary fibrosis (PF) patients. DNA-PKcs deficiency significantly exacerbated RIPF by promoting EMT in lung epithelial cells. Mechanistically, DNA-PKcs deletion by shRNA or inhibitor NU7441 maintained the protein stability of Twist1. Furthermore, AKT1 mediated the interaction between DNA-PKcs and Twist1. High Twist1 expression and EMT-associated changes caused by DNA-PKcs deletion were blocked by insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), an AKT1 agonist. The radioprotective drug VND3207 prevented IR-induced EMT and alleviated RIPF in mice by stimulating the kinase activity of DNA-PKcs.
Conclusion: Our study clarified the critical role and mechanism of DNA-PKcs in RIPF and showed that it could be a potential target for preventing RIPF.
(© 2024 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Shanghai Institute of Clinical Bioinformatics.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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