Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 26, 2025

Exploring the Regulation of Lipid Droplet Catabolism through Lipophagy
07:20

Exploring the Regulation of Lipid Droplet Catabolism through Lipophagy

Published on: January 31, 2025

618

Mitophagy: A novel perspective for insighting into cancer and cancer treatment

Congkuan Song1, Shize Pan1, Jinjin Zhang2

  • 1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.

Cell Proliferation
|October 6, 2022
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Mitophagy, the selective removal of damaged mitochondria, plays a complex role in cancer development and treatment. Understanding mitophagy mechanisms offers new therapeutic strategies for cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Mitophagy is a crucial cellular process involving the selective elimination of damaged mitochondria.
  • It is essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis and plays significant roles in cancer initiation, progression, and therapeutic responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively review the regulatory mechanisms of mitophagy in cancer.
  • To discuss the multifaceted significance of mitophagy in various cancer contexts.
  • To explore the potential of targeted mitophagy as a novel cancer treatment strategy.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review and synthesis of recent research data on mitophagy in cancer.
  • Analysis of molecular mechanisms governing mitophagy.
  • Evaluation of mitophagy's role in cancer adaptation and treatment resistance.

Main Results:

  • Mitophagy regulation is complex, involving diverse and interconnected molecular pathways.
  • Modulating mitophagy can have varied effects on cancer, acting as a double-edged sword.
  • Mitophagy is critical for cancer metabolic reprogramming, stemness, and chemotherapy resistance.

Conclusions:

  • This review consolidates current knowledge on mitophagy's molecular mechanisms and its significance in cancer.
  • A deeper understanding of mitophagy will enhance insights into cancer biology and treatment.
  • Targeting mitophagy presents promising avenues for future clinical cancer therapies.

More Related Videos

In Vitro and In Vivo Detection of Mitophagy in Human Cells, C. Elegans, and Mice08:40

In Vitro and In Vivo Detection of Mitophagy in Human Cells, C. Elegans, and Mice

Published on: November 22, 2017

17.7K
Sensitive Measurement of Mitophagy by Flow Cytometry Using the pH-dependent Fluorescent Reporter mt-Keima09:13

Sensitive Measurement of Mitophagy by Flow Cytometry Using the pH-dependent Fluorescent Reporter mt-Keima

Published on: August 12, 2018

15.0K

Related Concept Videos

Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome01:36

Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome

Eukaryotic cells use different mechanisms to eliminate toxic waste obsolete and worn-out substances. Lysosomes play a pivotal role in this, and hence, these substances are carried to the lysosome from other parts of the cell and extracellular space through different pathways. The most elaborately studied pathways to the lysosome are the endocytic pathways.
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
6.7K
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
7.8K
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.9K
Autophagy01:27

Autophagy

Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
4.5K
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells02:53

Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells

Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
5.9K
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine02:50

Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine

Combining two or more treatment methods increases the life span of cancer patients while reducing damage to vital organs or tissue from the overuse of a single treatment. Combination therapy also targets different cancer-inducing pathways, thus reducing the chances of developing resistance to treatment.
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
5.0K