Tumour microenvironment on mitochondrial dynamics and chemoresistance in cancer

Abstract

Mitochondria, evolutionally acquired symbionts of eukaryotic cells, are essential cytoplasmic organelles. They are structurally dynamic organelles that continually go through fission and fusion processes in response to various stimuli. Tumour tissue is composed of not just cancer cells but also various cell types like fibroblasts, mesenchymal stem and immune cells. Mitochondrial dynamics of cancer cells has been shown to be significantly affected by features of tumour microenvironment such as hypoxia, inflammation and energy deprivation. The interactions of cancer cells with tumour microenvironment like hypoxia give rise to the inter- and intratumoural heterogeneity, causing chemoresistance. In this review, we will focus on the chemoresistance by tumoural heterogeneity in relation to mitochondrial dynamics of cancer cells. Recent findings in molecular mechanisms involved in the control of mitochondrial dynamics as well as the impact of mitochondrial dynamics on drug sensitivity in cancer are highlighted in the current review.

Keywords:

• Chemoresistance
• hypoxia
• inflammation
• mitochondrial dynamics
• reactive oxygen species (ROS)
• tumour microenvironment

Acknowledgements

We apologise to the authors of studies on mitochondrial dynamics and cancer whose works could not be cited due to the space limitation.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by grant no. [04-2017-0530] from the SNUH research fund; and BK21 plus program [5262-20150100].