Mitochondrial Dynamics in Relation to Cancer and Stem Cell Phenotypes - [June 2017 Research]

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Chen and Chan recently (June 22, 2017) published a research review in Cell Metabolism, in which they look at the similarities of cancer cells and stem cells with respect to their metabolic profile.

Specifically, they go in-depth with regards to the mitochondrial dynamics: the roles of mitochondrial fission and fusion and the progression of cell proliferation. Cells, depending on their type, can have thousands of mitochondria, making their dynamics a good research focus.

Broadly speaking, mitochondrial fission seems to be associated:

• in some cancer cells: with higher proliferation and invasiveness, and increase glycolytic metabolism
• in some stem cells: with higher self-renewal and resistance to differentiation

Mitochondrial fission and fusion are very complex processes driven by and regulated by a multitude of proteins and other factors, notably DRP1 and DYN2 in fission. For the technical reader, the authors go into the mechanisms and interactions of and between these factors.

The Warburg effect and the role of reactive oxygen species in tumor progression are also discussed:

"Differentiated cells typically rely heavily on the OXPHOS activity of mitochondria. In contrast, many cancer cells show the arburg effect, characterized by reliance on aerobic glycolysis and reduced emphasis on OXPHOS. Glycolysis, though less energy efficient than OXPHOS, generates metabolic intermediates that provide building blocks for synthesis of amino acids (AAs), fatty acids (FAs), and nucleotides (NTPs)." [source]

Mitochondria fusion seems to be the opposite of fission for cell growth, thereby having an inhibitory effect - in breast and lung cancer cells. Mitochondrial dynamics are then explored in the context of stem cells and (already) differentiated cells.

The perspectives raised by the authors with respect to the research venues that should be further pursued involve:

• further investigation on the resemblance between the metabolisms of cancer cells and of stem cells
• whether or not mitochondrial fission arises from a change in metabolism or other cell processes
• further investigation of the relationship between mitochondrial morphology and metabolism
• how a better understanding of these issue could drive the development of therapies against tumorigenesis and progression.

Overall, this is an interesting paper that I recommend to those with a strong interest in cancer research.

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Cristi Vlad, Self-Experimenter and Author