Mitochondria as the decision makers for cancer cell fate: from signaling pathways to therapeutic strategies

As pivotal players in cellular metabolism, mitochondria have a double-faceted role in the final decision of cell fate. This is true for all cell types, but it is even more important and intriguing in the cancer setting. Mitochondria regulate cell fate in many diverse ways: through metabolism, by producing ATP and other metabolites deemed vital or detrimental for cancer cells; through the regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis, especially by the joint participation of the endoplasmic reticulum in a membranous tethering system for Ca2+ signaling called mitochondria-ER associated membranes (MAMs); and by regulating signaling pathways involved in the survival of cancer cells such as mitophagy. Recent studies have shown that mitochondria can also play a role in the regulation of inflammatory pathways in cancer cells, for example, through the release of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) involved in the activation of the cGAS-cGAMP-STING pathway. In this review, we aim to explore the role of mitochondria as decision makers in fostering cancer cell death or survival depending on the tumor cell stage and describe novel anticancer therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondria.