Relevance of the endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria axis in cancer diagnosis and therapy

Garam An, Junho Park, Jisoo Song, Taeyeon Hong, Gwonhwa Song, Whasun Lim

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    7 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Dynamic interactions between organelles are responsible for a variety of intercellular functions, and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–mitochondrial axis is recognized as a representative interorganelle system. Several studies have confirmed that most proteins in the physically tethered sites between the ER and mitochondria, called mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs), are vital for intracellular physiology. MAM proteins are involved in the regulation of calcium homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and mitochondrial dynamics and are associated with processes related to intracellular stress conditions, such as oxidative stress and unfolded protein responses. Accumulating evidence has shown that, owing to their extensive involvement in cellular homeostasis, alterations in the ER–mitochondrial axis are one of the etiological factors of tumors. An in-depth understanding of MAM proteins and their impact on cell physiology, particularly in cancers, may help elucidate their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic targets for cancers. For example, the modulation of MAM proteins is utilized not only to target diverse intracellular signaling pathways within cancer cells but also to increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to anticancer reagents and regulate immune cell activities. Therefore, the current review summarizes and discusses recent advances in research on the functional roles of MAM proteins and their characteristics in cancers from a diagnostic perspective. Additionally, this review provides insights into diverse therapeutic strategies that target MAM proteins in various cancer types.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)40-50
    Number of pages11
    JournalExperimental and Molecular Medicine
    Volume56
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2024 Feb

    Bibliographical note

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2023, The Author(s).

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Biochemistry
    • Molecular Medicine
    • Molecular Biology
    • Clinical Biochemistry

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