The role of mitochondria: cancer cells form tumors without mitochondria.

Mitochondria are the cells that provide energy in cells, called the "energy factory" of cells.
but scientists have now discovered a new role that mitochondria play in the development of tumors, and cancer cells deprived of mitochondria are unable to form tumors.
study published in the new issue of the American Journal of Cell-Metabolism, cancer cells need mitochondria to survive and multiply.
this study has increased understanding of the role of mitochondria in tumor formation and points new directions for cancer research and treatment. Researchers in
Australia and New Zealand found in 2015 that cancer cells, after their mitochondria were damaged, took mitochondria from surrounding healthy cells to restore function.
but their latest research shows that cancer cells are "twisted" not just the mitochondria's ability to provide energy. Professor Michael Beridge, of the Maraghan Institute of Medicine in New Zealand, one of the study leaders in the
, explained that they once thought that the only effect of mitochondria was an "energy factory" in which cancer cells can produce a small amount of energy even without mitochondria, which is enough energy to sustain the growth and division of cancer cells.
mitochondria, in addition to providing energy, play a key role in the process of producing the basic components of the genetic material DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).
"It's a game-changing discovery," Berich said in a statement.
" Berich points out that future cancer treatments could target mitochondria, preventing cancer cells from synthesizing new DNA to prevent them from forming tumors.
therefore, the study offers hope for the development of more effective new cancer treatments.
Source: Xinhua News Agency.