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Mitochondria and the hallmarks of cancer
Author(s) -
Giampazolias Evangelos,
Tait Stephen W.G.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the febs journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.981
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1742-4658
pISSN - 1742-464X
DOI - 10.1111/febs.13603
Subject(s) - mitochondrion , biology , programmed cell death , genome instability , cancer cell , cancer , apoptosis , bioenergetics , metastasis , microbiology and biotechnology , inflammation , cancer research , genetics , dna damage , immunology , dna
Mitochondria have traditionally been viewed as the powerhouse of the cell, where they serve, amongst other functions, as a major source of ATP generation. More recently, mitochondria have also been shown to have active roles in a variety of other processes, including apoptotic cell death and inflammation. Here we review the various ways in which mitochondrial functions affect cancer. Although there are many diverse types of cancer, hallmarks have been defined that are applicable to most cancer types. We provide an overview of how mitochondrial functions affect some of these hallmarks, which include evasion of cell death, de‐regulated bioenergetics, genome instability, tumour‐promoting inflammation and metastasis. In addition to discussing the underlying mitochondrial roles in each of these processes, we also highlight the considerable potential of targeting mitochondrial functions to improve cancer treatment.