PPARGC1A and cancer: Under oxidative stress, SIRT3 is recruited with PGC-1α, and suppressing SIRT3 decreases PGC-1α expression, leading to decreased mitochondrial activity and increased apoptosis in cells treated with anticancer drugs.285 Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a type of quiescent, pluripotent, self-renewing neoplastic cells, are recognized as tumor-initiating cells.286 The researchers discovered that PGC-1α is a master regulator of lactate oxidation and is elevated in normoxic CSCs.