%0 Journal Article
%T DNA-PKcs/AKT1 inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition during radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis by inducing ubiquitination and degradation of Twist1.
%A Yan Z
%A Zhu J
%A Liu Y
%A Li Z
%A Liang X
%A Zhou S
%A Hou Y
%A Chen H
%A Zhou L
%A Wang P
%A Ao X
%A Gao S
%A Huang X
%A Zhou PK
%A Gu Y
%J Clin Transl Med
%V 14
%N 5
%D 2024 May
%M 38760896
%F 8.554
%R 10.1002/ctm2.1690
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>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.<BR><B>OBJECTIVE: </B>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.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>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.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>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.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>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.