Mitochondrial defects in cancer 


Author: Jennifer S Carew 12 and Peng Huang 12*

Affiliation: * Corresponding author:	 Peng Huang phuang@mdanderson.org  Author Affiliations  1 Department of Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030, USA  2 The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
Conference/Journal: Molecular Cancer
Date published: 2002
Other:
 Volume ID: 1   ,  Pages: 9   ,  Word Count: 108  
    Mitochondria play important roles in cellular energy metabolism, free radical generation, and apoptosis. Defects in mitochondrial function have long been suspected to contribute to the development and progression of cancer. In this review article, we aim to provide a brief summary of our current understanding of mitochondrial genetics and biology, review the mtDNA alterations reported in various types of cancer, and offer some perspective as to the emergence of mtDNA mutations, their functional consequences in cancer development, and therapeutic implications.



Keywords: mitochondria; cancer; mutation; respiration; free radical





The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.molecular-cancer.com/content/1/1/9