title: Mitochondria in cancer cells: what is so special about them?
abstract: The past decade has revealed a new role for the mitochondria in cell metabolism--regulation of cell death pathways. Considering that most tumor cells are resistant to apoptosis, one might question whether such resistance is related to the particular properties of mitochondria in cancer cells that are distinct from those of mitochondria in non-malignant cells. This scenario was originally suggested by Otto Warburg, who put forward the hypothesis that a decrease in mitochondrial energy metabolism might lead to development of cancer. This review is devoted to the analysis of mitochondrial function in cancer cells, including the mechanisms underlying the upregulation of glycolysis, and how intervention with cellular bioenergetic pathways might make tumor cells more susceptible to anticancer treatment and induction of apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Division of Toxicology, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, Stockholm, SE-171 77, Sweden.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gogvadze
authors.forename: Sten
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Orrenius
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhivotovsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006019:Glycolysis; D006801:Humans; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53