DDIT3 and heart failure: As ER stress is recently implicated in the pathogenesis of heart diseases such as ischemic heart disease and heart failure [12], [13], we analyzed the expression of ER stress markers such as GRP78 and C/EBP homologous protein transcription factor (CHOP) in this model, and found that these ER stress markers were induced at the phase of transition from hypertrophy to heart failure (Fig. 2C).