Fig. 3

Mitochondrial dynamics and cancer stem cell stemness. A Mitochondrial fusion induced by brat knockdown increased OXPHOS and NAD⁺ levels and then drove the immortalization and tumorigenicity of tumor-initiating cells (TICs). B CDK5 phosphorylates DRP1 and increases mitochondrial cleavage, which then induces the expression of stemness genes. Similarly, MFF promotes mitochondrial fission and then increases OCT4 expression levels. Mdivi-1 reduces the expression of stemness genes by inhibiting DRP1; selective COX-2 inhibitors resveratrol, celecoxib, and etodolac reduce the expression level of stemness genes by inhibiting DRP1 indirectly. OXPHOS Oxidative phosphorylation, TICs Tumor-initiating cells, CDK5 Cycle-dependent kinase 5, MFF Mitochondrial fission factor