Editor: Akhmetova Aigerim
Author: Aldiyarbek Nurlan
Mitochondria supply our cells with the energy and cellular building blocks that tissues and organs need to function properly. It has long been thought that cancer cell growth is independent of mitochondrial function. However, in recent years, this long-standing dogma has been questioned. Cancer stem cells are particularly dependent on mitochondrial metabolism. Because of the central role of mitochondria in normal tissue function, and because drugs targeting mitochondrial functions are usually highly toxic, it has so far proven difficult to target mitochondria to treat cancer.
Now an international team of researchers has found a way to overcome these difficulties. “We have been able to create a cancer drug that targets mitochondrial function without serious side effects and without harming healthy cells,” explains Nina Bonekamp, one of the study's lead authors. Mitochondria contain their own genetic material, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) molecules, whose gene expression is mediated by a special set of proteins. One such protein is the mitochondrial RNA polymerase enzyme, abbreviated as POLRMT. “Our group's previous results have shown that rapidly proliferating cells such as embryonic cells are highly sensitive to inhibition of mtDNA expression, whereas differentiated tissues such as skeletal muscle can tolerate this condition for a surprisingly long time.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201223142446.htm
