Mitochondria are the cellular organelles where 'apoptosis,' the self-initiated cell death process, begins.
To prevent malfunctioning cells from damaging others, cells with minor defects send signals to self-destruct.
This phenomenon occurs to eliminate problematic cells and maintain the whole organism in a stable state, essentially a death that preserves life.
If apoptosis does not take place when it is supposed to, it can become a root cause of cancer.
Because this process is carried out by mitochondria, any dysfunction in their activity can disrupt cellular energy metabolism and encourage cancer development.
When there are issues with the apoptosis process, cells may not self-destruct and can become cancerous, leading to uncontrolled proliferation.
"While functional mitochondria and mtDNA are crucial for the growth and tumorigenesis of cancer cells, mutations in mtDNA or a reduction in mtDNA copy number, altering OXPHOS physiology, are common characteristics of cancer. This indicates that changes in mitochondrial bioenergy and metabolism play an essential role in the initiation or sustenance of tumorigenesis."
*Wallace, D. Mitochondria and cancer (2012).Nat Rev Cancer 12,685–698.
Apoptosis thus serves a vital function in aiding our bodies to operate correctly and in protecting our normal cells from becoming cancerous.
