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Updated: Sep 2, 2025

Author Spotlight: Transmitochondrial Cybrid Generation Using Cancer Cell Lines
Published on: March 17, 2023
Roles of mitochondrial genetics in cancer metastasis
Danny R Welch1, Christian Foster2, Isidore Rigoutsos3
1Department of Cancer Biology, The Kansas University Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; Department of Internal Medicine (Hematology/Oncology), The Kansas University Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, The Kansas University Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; Department of Pathology, The Kansas University Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; The University of Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
Abstract:
The contributions of mitochondria to cancer have been recognized for decades. However, the focus on the metabolic role of mitochondria and the diminutive size of the mitochondrial genome compared to the nuclear genome have hindered discovery of the roles of mitochondrial genetics in cancer. This review summarizes recent data demonstrating the contributions of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy-number variants (CNVs), somatic mutations, and germline polymorphisms to cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. The goal is to summarize accumulating data to establish a framework for exploring the contributions of mtDNA to neoplasia and metastasis.
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