Advances in cancer researchApr 3, 2016

How Sirtuins and Estrogen Receptors Control Mitochondrial Stress Response in Cancer and Aging

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

Mitochondria play a crucial role in regulating cellular life and death by producing ATP and mediating apoptosis.

Alterations in mitochondrial biology are associated with various diseases, including cancer and age-related neurodegeneration.
The mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR(mt)) manages damage through pathways like protein quality control and mitochondrial biogenesis.
ATFS-1, a transcription factor identified in C. elegans, has a mammalian counterpart that remains unidentified.
Sirtuins and Foxo family transcription factors are linked to UPR(mt) in both C. elegans and mammalian cells, suggesting their potential importance.
Estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ may protect against mitochondrial stress, with ERα connected to UPR(mt) and implications for cancer and aging.

Simplified

By being both the source of ATP and the mediator of apoptosis, the mitochondria are key regulators of cellular life and death. Not surprisingly alterations in the biology of the mitochondria have implications in a wide array of diseases including cancer and age-related diseases such as neurodegeneration. To protect the mitochondria against damage the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR(mt)) orchestrates several pathways, including the protein quality controls, the antioxidant machinery, oxidative phosphorylation, mitophagy, and mitochondrial biogenesis. While several reports have implicated an array of transcription factors in the UPR(mt), most of the focus has been on studies of Caenorhabditis elegans, which led to the identification of ATFS-1, for which the mammalian homolog remains unknown. Meanwhile, there are studies which link the UPR(mt) to sirtuins and transcription factors of the Foxo family in both C. elegans and mammalian cells but those have been largely overlooked. This review aims at emphasizing the potential importance of these studies by building on the large body of literature supporting the key role of the sirtuins in the maintenance of the integrity of the mitochondria in both cancer and aging. Further, the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ) are known to confer protection against mitochondrial stress, and at least ERα has been linked to the UPR(mt). Considering the difference in gender longevity, this chapter also includes a discussion of the link between the ERα and ERβ and the mitochondria in cancer and aging.

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How Sirtuins and Estrogen Receptors Control Mitochondrial Stress Response in Cancer and Aging

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