Roles of mitochondria in the hallmarks of metastasis

Although mitochondrial contributions to cancer have been recognised for approximately a century, given that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is dwarfed by the size of the nuclear genome (nDNA), nuclear genetics has represented a focal point in cancer biology, often at the expense of mtDNA and mitochondria....

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBritish journal of cancer Vol. 124; no. 1; pp. 124 - 135
Main Authors Scheid, Adam D., Beadnell, Thomas C., Welch, Danny R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 05.01.2021
Nature Publishing Group
Subjects
631/67/2327
631/67/68/2486
Animals
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cancer
Cancer Research
Drug Resistance
Epidemiology
Genomes
Humans
Metastases
Metastasis
Microenvironments
Mitochondria
Mitochondria - metabolism
Mitochondria - pathology
Mitochondrial DNA
Molecular Medicine
Neoplasm Invasiveness - pathology
Neoplasms - metabolism
Neoplasms - pathology
Oncology
Organelles
Review
Review Article
Stromal cells
Tumor Microenvironment - physiology
Whole genome sequencing
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Summary:Although mitochondrial contributions to cancer have been recognised for approximately a century, given that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is dwarfed by the size of the nuclear genome (nDNA), nuclear genetics has represented a focal point in cancer biology, often at the expense of mtDNA and mitochondria. However, genomic sequencing and advances in in vivo models underscore the importance of mtDNA and mitochondria in cancer and metastasis. In this review, we explore the roles of mitochondria in the four defined ‘hallmarks of metastasis’: motility and invasion, microenvironment modulation, plasticity and colonisation. Biochemical processes within the mitochondria of both cancer cells and the stromal cells with which they interact are critical for each metastatic hallmark. We unravel complex dynamics in mitochondrial contributions to cancer, which are context-dependent and capable of either promoting metastasis or being leveraged to prevent it at various points of the metastatic cascade. Ultimately, mitochondrial contributions to cancer and metastasis are rooted in the capacity of these organelles to tune metabolic and genetic responses to dynamic microenvironmental cues.
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ISSN:0007-0920
1532-1827
1532-1827
DOI:10.1038/s41416-020-01125-8