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CANCER METABOLISM AND AGING

mtDNA mutations help support cancer cells

Mitochondrial DNA damage, metabolic disruption and aging have all been associated with cancer. These three threads are now woven together to show that aging-associated somatic mutations to mitochondrial DNA alter mitochondrial serine metabolism to support cell transformation and colon-cancer development.

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Fig. 1: Interplay of aging, mtDNA mutations and mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer development.

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Correspondence to Michael P. Murphy.

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Prag, H.A., Murphy, M.P. mtDNA mutations help support cancer cells. Nat Cancer 1, 941–942 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43018-020-00128-x

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