Background and Objective: Mitochondrial dynamics have a crucial role in the development of cancer and the plasticity of cancer cells. The role of mitochondria isolated from parental cells in regulating mitochondrial content and cancer stem cell (CSC) properties of MKN45 gastric cancer cells was examined.Methods: Mitochondria were isolated from parental MKN45 cells and transferred into recipient cells using a co-incubation approach. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Fluorescence microscopy was used to confirm the presence of mitochondria stained with Rhodamine 123 in the recipient cells following the transfer of mitochondria. Self-renewal capacity was evaluated using a sphere formation assay. The expression levels of stemness (OCT4, NANOG, BMI1), mesenchymal and epithelial (SNAIL, SLUG, VIMENTIN, E-CADHERIN) markers were determined by reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).Results: The transfer of mitochondria caused a significant increase in the number of mtDNA copies and a higher mitochondrial membrane potential in the recipient cells. Furthermore, these mitochondrial alterations were functionally associated with an increase in the ability to form spheres and the expression of genes related to stemness, mesenchymal marker expression, and epithelial marker expression.Conclusion: These results suggest that the augmented mitochondrial content enhances the CSC-like traits that could be a factor in tumor aggressiveness.
Terzioğlu et al. (2026) studied this question.