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HEREDITAS ›› 2008, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (3): 263-268.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1005.2008.00263

• 综述 • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Association between mitochondrial DNA mutations and cancer in human

ZHANG Shu-Ping1, SONG Shu-Juan2, LI Ya-Xuan1   

  1. 1. College of Life Science, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100037, China;
    2. Department of Medical Genetics, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100083, China
  • Received:2007-09-30 Revised:2007-12-05 Online:2008-03-10 Published:2008-03-10
  • Contact: LI Ya-Xuan

Abstract:

Mitochondria are essential organelles that generate cellular energy in cells. Mutations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been identified in various types of cancer, suggesting a complex relationship between mtDNA and cancer. This review focuses on the possible correlation between the mtDNA mutation and cancer. Additionally, possible causes for mtDNA mutations and applications for detecting mtDNA mutations in cancer are discussed.