Skip to main content
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Russian
  • Portuguese

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Gastroenterology
  3. Mutational signature of E. coli in colorectal cancer
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • Partnerships
    • Press room
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
    • Xpeer App
  • Useful documents
    • Infographic
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section
Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
Dermatology

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Gastroenterology
  3. Mutational signature of E. coli in colorectal cancer
Gastroenterology

Mutational signature of E. coli in colorectal cancer

Cancer
Oncology Gastroenterology

A team has recently proved how certain genotoxic strains of Escherichia coli damage DNA, leading to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. In the future, will it be possible to curb this process?

Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
Dermatology
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • Partnerships
    • Press room
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
    • Xpeer App
  • Useful documents
    • Infographic
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your colleagues might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
Photo : Mutational signature of e. Coli in colorectal cancer

About this article

Created 28 May 2020
Updated 31 March 2022

While various species of the gut microbiota are linked to colorectal cancer (CRC), a direct role of bacteria in the onset of carcinogenic mutations has not been demonstrated yet. For example, certain bacteria, including genotoxic strains of E. coli, are more commonly found in the feces of CRC patients than in those of healthy subjects (60% vs 20%). These bacteria carry a DNA unit called pks (polyketide-nonribosomal peptide synthase operon) that encodes enzymes for synthesis of colibactin, a toxin capable of damaging DNA.

An ex vivo signature...

Through repeated luminal injections over five months, a group of researchers exposed human intestinal (sidenote: Organoids Organoids are new ex vivo models of organs, halfway between in vivo models and in vitro cell cultures. The stem cells or partially differentiated cells from which they are obtained spontaneously self-organize into functional tissue in an adapted three-dimensional environment )  to genotoxic E. coli (pks+ E. coli). Sequencing of the organoid genome before and after this exposure showed that colibactin induces a mutation (recombination between the two DNA strands) at a very specific location in the genome. This mutation was then “corrected” (i.e. resolution) by the cells of the organoid via single base substitution (SBS) or insertion/deletion (ID), based on recognizable patterns. These two types of resolution, called SBS-pks and ID-pks, are not observed in organoids exposed either to non-genotoxic E. coli strains or to a simple dye. Therefore, they represent the signature of an exposure to pks+ E. coli.

...confirmed in humans

It remained to be seen whether SBS-pks and ID-pks signatures were present in human tumors. Based on data from more than 5,000 tumors covering dozens of different types of cancer, both signatures are much more commonly found in CRC-derived metastases than in any other cancer type. Moreover, an analysis of seven cohorts of CRC patients showed that 2.4% of the mutations that most frequently lead to CRC were colibactin-induced. Many of these mutations affected the APC gene, which prevents uncontrolled cell proliferation.

A way to prevent CRC?

Another team had previously found these signatures in the colonic crypts of healthy individuals. This suggests that mutagenesis takes place in the healthy colon of individuals who harbor genotoxic strains of pks+ E. coli, increasing the risk of CRC. This cohort also included a few cases of urogenital cancer and head and neck cancer displaying pks signature, which suggests that pks+ E. coli may also act outside the colon. Accordingly, the detection and suppression of pks+ E. coli, as well as the reevaluation of pks-carrying probiotic strains, may reduce the risk of cancer in a large number of individuals.

 

Sources

Pleguezuelos-Manzano C, Puschhof J, Huber AR et al. Mutational signature in colorectal cancer caused by genotoxic pks+ E. coli. Nature. 2020 Apr;580(7802):269-273.

Tags
E Coli Cancer Colon Escherichia coli Colorectal cancer CRC

en_view en_sources

    Created 28 May 2020
    Updated 31 March 2022

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Cancer

    Medical practice

    Oncology Gastroenterology

    Content type

    News
    Gastroenterology

    The blue poop challenge: a reliable method to evaluate gut transit?

    By Pr. Gianluca Ianiro Gastroenterology Department, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli- ...

    Find out more

    New perspectives in autism: the role of microbiota in social communication

    Overview By Dr. Vincent Trebossen Child and Adolescent P...

    Find out more

    Gut microbiota #15

    By Pr. Markku Voutilainen Turku University Faculty of Medicine; Turku University Hospital, Department of Ga...

    Find out more

    Microbiome topics at gastro 2021

    Congress Review By Pr. Eamonn M M Quigley Lynda K and David M Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders, Di...

    Find out more

    Commensal clostridiales strains mediate effective anti-cancer immune response against solid tumours

    Commented articles - Adults' section By Pr. Harry Sokol ...

    Find out more

    Microbiota in covid-19 pandemic

    Overview By Pr. Conceição Calhau NOVA Medical School, New University of Lisbon, Portugal By Pr. Pedro Povo...

    Find out more

    Association between fungal dysbiosis and environment

    The fungal portion of the gut microbiota (or mycobiota) has been much less studied than the bacterial porti...

    Find out more

    From diarrhea to chronic diseases: the well-documented consequences of antibiotic-related gut microbiota dysbiosis

    Antibiotic treatment may sometimes take place without any...

    Find out more

    Continue reading

    News
    Photo: Neonatal sepsis: the microbiota pays a heavy price for antibiotic use
    09.05.2022

    Neonatal sepsis: the microbiota pays a heavy price for antibiotic use

    Read the article
    26.04.2022

    Severe obesity: the vicious circle of biotin metabolism

    Read the article
    22.04.2022

    SCFAs: new intestinal markers of Parkinson’s disease?

    Read the article
    15.04.2022

    Multiple sclerosis and microbiota: does meat consumption play a role?

    Read the article
    08.04.2022

    Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): do microplastics condition severity?

    Read the article
    04.04.2022

    The microbiota, a significant factor in smoking cessation

    Read the article
    30.04.2019

    The lingual microbiota, biomarker of pancreatic cancer?

    Read the article
    15.06.2021

    Autism: link between severity of the disorder and changes in the gut microbiota?

    Read the article
    What's worth reading about microbiota
    Follow us on Twitter
    Read our thematic folder
    The Janus face of Antibiotics: Life Savers & Microbiota Disrupters
    NL13_cover
    Check out latest newsletter
    IBS, Microbiota & Covid-19
    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • Partnerships
      • Press room
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
      • Xpeer App
    • Useful documents
      • Infographic
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    Dermatology
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Russian
    • Portuguese

    Browse the site

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • Partnerships
      • Press room
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
      • Xpeer App
    • Useful documents
      • Infographic
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    Dermatology

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    en_redirection

    en_you_are_about_to_leave

    • en_be_redirected
    • en_stay_on_biocodex

    Stay with us !

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive once a month the “Microbiota Digest” to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    Photo: Neonatal sepsis: the microbiota pays a heavy price for antibiotic use
    09.05.2022

    Neonatal sepsis: the microbiota pays a heavy price for antibiotic use

    Read the article
    04.05.2022

    Miscarriage: Is vaginal dysbiosis a suspect?

    Read the article
    26.04.2022

    Severe obesity: the vicious circle of biotin metabolism

    Read the article

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive once a month the “Microbiota Digest” to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • Partnerships
      • Press room
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
      • Xpeer App
    • Useful documents
      • Infographic
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    Dermatology

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    © 2022 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Cookies Policy
    • Data protection policy
    • GTU
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    Biocodex logo