Apoptosis-stimulating protein of p53-2, which binds to p53 to stimulate the transactivation function of p53 on the promoters of pro-apoptotic genes, could induce pro-death autophagy in hepatoma cells by activation of CHOP, while bufalin induced cytoprotective autophagy in glioma cells through CHOP activation49, 50. Here, DDIT3 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.