A first mitochondrial metastasis suppressor

Bad outcome in cancer mainly depends on the tumor’s capacity to migrate and invade, thus spreading in the body and forming metastasis (secondary tumors). Few cellular proteins can slow or prevent this process, the so-called metastasis suppressors. In the current issue of BMC Biology, a consortium led by researchers from Paris Sorbonne and LBFA-Univ. Grenoble Alpes report the first metastasis suppressor localized in a cellular compartment called mitochondria: NME4 (NM23-H4 or NDPK-D). While most cytosolic metastasis suppressors are involved in cell signaling, NME4 controls mitochondrial functions and fission/fusion dynamics. This opens new avenues for therapy.