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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Julia Whitehall, Professor Laura GreavesORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Alterations in mitochondrial metabolism have been described as one of the major hallmarks of both ageing cells and cancer. Age is the biggest risk factor for the development of a significant number of cancer types and this therefore raises the question of whether there is a link between age-related mitochondrial dysfunction and the advantageous changes in mitochondrial metabolism prevalent in cancer cells. A common underlying feature of both ageing and cancer cells is the presence of somatic mutations of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) which we postulate may drive compensatory alterations in mitochondrial metabolism that are advantageous for tumour growth. In this review, we discuss basic mitochondrial functions, mechanisms of mtDNA mutagenesis and their metabolic consequences, and review the evidence for and against a role for mtDNA mutations in cancer development.
Author(s): Whitehall JC, Greaves LC
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Biogerontology
Year: 2020
Volume: 21
Issue: 4
Pages: 445-459
Print publication date: 01/08/2020
Online publication date: 04/12/2019
Acceptance date: 23/11/2019
ISSN (print): 1389-5729
ISSN (electronic): 1573-6768
URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-019-09853-y
DOI: 10.1007/s10522-019-09853-y
