One of the biggest surprises in modern cancer biology is that tumors are wired with nerves—and cancers with more nerve fibers tend to be more aggressive. A new study finally explains why.
The Key Finding
Neurons actively transfer their mitochondria — the cell’s energy engines — into cancer cells.
Through direct contact and tunneling nanotubes, neurons boost their own mitochondrial supply and then pass some of those mitochondria into nearby tumor cells. Once they receive them, cancer cells become:
- More metabolically flexible
- More stress-resistant (oxidative + mechanical stress)
- Better at producing ATP
- More “stem-like” and adaptable
All of these traits make metastasis easier.
Tracking the Transfer
Researchers created MitoTRACER, a genetic tool that permanently marks cancer cells the moment they receive a neuron’s mitochondrion. This let them follow these cells through the full metastatic process.
What They Found
Mitochondria-recipient cancer cells were:
- Rare in the primary tumor
- Highly enriched in metastatic sites — especially the brain, where energetic demands are high
This suggests neuronal mitochondria give cancer cells a metabolic advantage that helps them survive the journey and colonize new organs.
This study shows that nerves don’t just sit near tumors—they actively fuel them. By donating their mitochondria, neurons give cancer cells extra metabolic power that helps them survive stress and spread, especially to energy-demanding organs like the brain. Targeting this nerve–tumor communication could become a new way to slow or prevent metastasis.
Credit to Gregory Hoover et. al. for the great work.
Credit to Nicholas Fabiano for the inspiration on this post.
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