Rationale for mitochondria-targeting strategies in cancer bioenergetic therapies

Abstract

In the 1920s, Otto Warburg first hypothesized that mitochondrial impairment is a leading cause of cancer although he recognized the existence of oxidative tumors. Likewise, Weinhouse and others in the 50s found that deficient mitochondrial respiration is not an obligatory feature of cancer and Peter Vaupel suggested in the 1990s that tumor oxygenation rather than OXPHOS capacity was the limiting factor of mitochondrial energy production in cancer. Recent studies now clearly indicate that mitochondria are highly functional in mice tumors and the field of oncobioenergetic identified MYC, Oct1 and RAS as pro-OXPHOS oncogenes. In addition, cancer cells adaptation to aglycemia, metabolic symbiosis between hypoxic and non-hypoxic tumor regions as well the reverse Warburg hypothesis support the crucial role of mitochondria in the survival of a subclass of tumors. Therefore, mitochondria are now considered as potential targets for anti-cancer therapy and tentative strategies including a bioenergetic profile characterization of the tumor and the subsequent adapted bioenergetic modulation could be considered for cancer killing. This article is part of a Directed Issue entitled: Bioenergetic dysfunction, adaptation and therapy.