The Epigenetic Control of Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in Tumorigenesis and Differentiation

This thesis focuses on how the communication between the two genomes within a cell, namely the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, is disrupted in cancer. It identifies abnormal levels in modifications to both genomes, as determined by the levels of DNA methylation, which regulate the number of mitochondrial DNA copies in a cancer cell. It suggests that a cell needs to establish harmony between these two genomes and provides potential implications for cancer treatments.