Gut microbiome may promote cancer
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have identified a cellular mechanism that promotes a tumor-promoting intestinal microbiome. The study, published in Nature Metabolism, shows how a permanently active protective protein changes the composition of the microbiome and can thus promote cancer. The results were also confirmed using data from cancer patients.
The protein ATF6 (Activating Transcription Factor 6) normally protects cells by initiating processes for repair or degradation when defective proteins accumulate. However, in the case of chronic activation, for example in certain diseases, the lipid metabolism in intestinal cells changes. More long-chain fatty acids are produced, which serve as food for bacteria such as Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis. These bacteria multiply, displacing other microbes and producing hydrogen sulfide, a gas that damages intestinal cells in high amounts and can promote cancer.
The researchers led by Professor Dirk Haller and Dr. Olivia Coleman demonstrated this process in intestinal organoids and mice. Mice without a microbiome did not develop cancer despite ATF6 activation, while mice with a microbiome developed the disease. If the researchers blocked the fat metabolism with medication, the cancer did not occur because the production of long-chain fatty acids was prevented.
The transmissibility to humans was confirmed by analyzing data from 1,000 cancer patients. Up to 38 percent of those over 50 years of age showed chronic ATF6 activation and elevated levels of long-chain fatty acids, similar to those in the mouse models.
The results do not yet provide a basis for concrete therapies, but could influence future approaches. The researchers are currently investigating how diet and other cancers are related to this mechanism. In the long term, clinical trials could build on these findings to develop new therapies.
Original Paper:
Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR
Gender Notice. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple naming and gendered designations are used for better readability. ected.
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