Page "Mitochondrion" Paragraph 56

The relationship between cellular proliferation and mitochondria has been investigated using cervical cancer Hela cells.

Tumor cells require an ample amount of ATP ( Adenosine triphosphate ) in order to synthesize bioactive compounds such as lipids, proteins, and nucleotides for rapid cell proliferation.

The majority of ATP in tumor cells is generated via the Oxidative Phosphorylation pathway ( OxPhos ).

Interference with OxPhos have shown to cause cell cycle arrest suggesting that mitochondria plays a role in cell proliferation.

Mitochondrial ATP production is also vital for cell division in addition to other basic functions in the cell including the regulation of cell volume, solute concentration, and cellular architecture.

ATP levels differ at various stages of the cell cycle suggesting that there is a relationship between the abundance of ATP and the cell's ability to enter a new cell cyle .< ref name = Sweet1999 > ATP ’ s role in the basic functions of the cell make the cell cycle sensitive to changes in the availability of mitochondrial derived ATP.

The variation in ATP levels at different stages of the cell cycle support the hypothesis that mitochondria plays an important role in cell cycle regulation.

Although the specific mechanisms between mitochondria and the cell cycle regulation is not well understood, studies have shown that low energy cell cycle checkpoints monitor the energy capability before committing to another round of cell division.