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Tumor microenvironment

Cancer-derived mitochondria fuel fibroblasts to become pro-tumorigenic

Nature Cancer (2025)Cite this article

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Cancer-associated fibroblasts represent a functionally diverse and heterogeneous entity within the solid tumor microenvironment. Mitochondrial transfer from cancer cells to fibroblasts is now shown to act as a reprogramming stimulus, driving metabolic and functional differentiation of fibroblasts to support tumor growth.

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Fig. 1: Mitochondrial transfer from cancer cells promotes reprogramming of fibroblasts toward a tumor-supportive state.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Daniel Delitto & Michael T. Longaker

  2. Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Daniel Delitto & Michael T. Longaker

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  1. Daniel Delitto
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  2. Michael T. Longaker
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Correspondence to Michael T. Longaker.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Delitto, D., Longaker, M.T. Cancer-derived mitochondria fuel fibroblasts to become pro-tumorigenic. Nat Cancer (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43018-025-01005-1

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