Mitochondria-Associated Pathways in Cancer and Precancerous Conditions: Mechanistic Insights.

ABSTRACT: Mitochondria perform critical roles in cellular functions, particularly in metabolism and cell death regulation. Mutations in nuclear and mitochondrial genes can cause mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to classical mitochondrial diseases. Emerging evidence suggests that mitochondrial adaptations in cancer support the high energy demands of proliferating cells and contribute to tumor progression through anti-apoptotic mechanisms, dysregulated mitochondrial quality control (mtQC), and altered mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy numbers. Interestingly, several mitochondrial pathways involved in cancer progression resemble those implicated in mitochondrial diseases. From this perspective, although cancer is not a classical mitochondrial disease, its progression involves mitochondria-associated pat

SUBMITTER: Li L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12429017 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature