cells Review Role of Mitochondria-Cytoskeleton Interactions in the Regulation of Mitochondrial Structure and Function in Cancer Stem Cells Jungmin Kim 1 and Jae-Ho Cheong 1,2,3,4,5,* 1 Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea;
[email protected] 2 Department of Surgery, Yonsei University Health System, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea 3 Yonsei Biomedical Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea 4 Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea 5 Department of Biomedical Systems Informatics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +82-2-2228-2094; Fax: +82-2-313-8289 Received: 17 June 2020; Accepted: 11 July 2020; Published: 14 July 2020 Abstract: Despite the promise of cancer medicine, major challenges currently confronting the treatment of cancer patients include chemoresistance and recurrence. The existence of subpopulations of cancer cells, known as cancer stem cells (CSCs), contributes to the failure of cancer therapies and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Of note, one of the recently characterized features of CSCs is augmented mitochondrial function. The cytoskeleton network is essential in regulating mitochondrial morphology and rearrangement, which are inextricably linked to its functions, such as oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The interaction between the cytoskeleton and mitochondria can enable CSCs to adapt to challenging conditions, such as a lack of energy sources, and to maintain their stemness. Cytoskeleton-mediated mitochondrial trafficking and relocating to the high energy requirement region are crucial steps in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT).