Ets1 facilitates EMT/invasion through Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fragmentation in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer has sustained as a major cause of cancer-related female mortality owing to its aggressive nature and a dearth of early detection markers. Ets1 on-coprotein, a transcription factor belonging to the Ets family, is a well-established promoter of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and a prospective malig-nancy marker in ovarian cancer. Our study establishes Ets1 as a regulator of mito-chondrial fission-fusion dynamics through Drp1 augmentation via direct binding at DNM1L (DRP1) promoter. Ets1 overexpression-mediated Drp1 increment re-sulted in mitochondrial load reduction and compromised OXPHOS Complex 5 (ATP synthase) expression, facilitating a greater reliance on glycolysis over OXPHOS. Furthermore, our work demonstrates that inhibition of mitochondrial fission through molecular or pharmacological inhibition of Drp1 successfully mit-igates Ets1-associated EMT in both in vitro and in vivo syngeneic mice model. Collectively, our data highlight the role of Drp1-mediated mitochondrial frag-mentation in driving Ets1-mediated bioenergetic alterations and EMT/invasion in ovarian cancer.