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Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Visualizing Mitophagy with Fluorescent Dyes for Mitochondria and Lysosome
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Visualizing Mitophagy with Fluorescent Dyes for Mitochondria and Lysosome

Published on: November 30, 2022

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The Nucleus/Mitochondria-Shuttling LncRNAs Function as New Epigenetic Regulators of Mitophagy in Cancer

Yan Li1,2, Wei Li1, Andrew R Hoffman2

  • 1Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of Ministry of Education, Cancer Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
|September 27, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Mitophagy, the removal of damaged mitochondria, plays a dual role in cancer. This review explores how long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate mitophagy, impacting tumor growth and offering new therapeutic targets.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Oncology
  • Autophagy Research

Background:

  • Mitophagy maintains mitochondrial quality control.
  • Its role in cancer is complex, potentially promoting survival or death.
  • Cancer cells may exploit mitophagy for metabolic advantage and resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review mitophagy regulation in cancer.
  • To highlight the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer mitophagy.
  • To discuss mitophagy as a potential cancer therapeutic target.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of mitophagy pathways in cancer.
  • Focus on nuclear-encoded long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as epigenetic regulators.
  • Analysis of lncRNA impact on mitochondrial function and tumor behavior.

Main Results:

  • Mitophagy pathways are significantly involved in cancer progression.
  • lncRNAs emerge as key epigenetic regulators of mitophagy in cancer cells.
  • Dysregulation of mitophagy by lncRNAs influences tumor proliferation and invasiveness.

Conclusions:

  • Mitophagy's complex role in cancer warrants further investigation.
  • lncRNAs represent novel epigenetic mediators of mitophagy in tumorigenesis.
  • Targeting mitophagy offers a promising new avenue for cancer therapy.
Keywords:
cancer metabolismcancer stem cellscancer therapylong non-coding RNAmitochondriamitophagy

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