TFAM and PGC-1α have not yet been linked to radioresistance, but Wang et al. (2017) recently showed that silencing mitochondrial single stranded DNA-binding protein (SSBP1), a protein that normally ensures mtDNA stability, decreased mtDNA copy number and sensitized H1299 human lung cancer cells to X-ray irradiation. The gene discussed is PPARGC1A; the disease is lung carcinoma.