Publication details

Pharmacological targeting of mitochondria in cancer stem cells: An ancient organelle at the crossroad of novel anti-cancer therapies

Authors

ŠKODA Jan BOŘÁNKOVÁ Karolína JANSSON Patric J. HUANG Michael L.-H. VESELSKÁ Renata RICHARDSON Desi Raymond

Year of publication 2019
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Pharmacological Research
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Web Full Text
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2018.11.020
Keywords Cancer stem cells; mitochondria; anti-cancer therapeutics; mitophagy; breast cancer; glioblastoma
Description Mitochondria play vital roles in various cellular processes, ranging from cellular metabolism to signal transduction and cell death regulation. As these properties are critical for cancer growth, the mitochondrion has recently become an attractive target for anti-cancer therapies. In addition, it has come to light that mitochondria are crucially involved in the regulation of stem cell identity, differentiation and fate. A similar role for mitochondria has been also demonstrated in malignant stem-like cells termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are implicated in progression and resistance of many tumors. In this review, we summarize different mitochondrial functions reported to promote acquisition and maintenance of CSC phenotype and discuss the rationale for their therapeutic targeting. Particular emphasis is given to therapeutics that act directly through modulation of these mitochondrial functions and have recently emerged as promising anti-CSC drugs in pre-clinical studies. This review highlights the intriguing aspects of mitochondrial biology that may have a crucial role in cancer initiation, progression, and resistance and which might facilitate pharmacological targeting. Indeed, understanding of mitochondrial function in the regulation of CSCs will promote the development of novel CSC-targeted therapeutic strategies, which could significantly improve the long-term survival of cancer patients.

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