Mitochondrial Dynamics and Stress Signaling in Cancer

Mitochondria are double-membrane organelles that provide precursors, metabolites, and energy—all of which impact upon the fundamental principles of cell biology. Over the past decade, the study of mitochondrial dynamics has also achieved great significance in cancer mechanisms—the mitochondrial dynamics literature expands beyond cell biology principles, and now captures our attention as a major contributor to cancer-promoting pathways. In parallel, mitochondria activate a repertoire of stress response cascades that facilitate organelle quality control through proteostasis and mitophagy and when stress is irreparable, eventual commitment to apoptosis. This chapter explores current literature that discusses how the mitochondrial dynamics machinery functions in the context of oncogenic and tumor suppressor pathways. Particular emphasis will be placed on the intersection of mitochondria-specific stress responses and mitochondrial dynamics in the context of cancer. Our goal is to capture how mitochondrial pathways directly impinge upon the principles of cell biology and the fundamentals of cancer mechanisms to motivate further research efforts in these areas.