Combined in-silico and in-vitro technique detects carcinogenesis caused by bacteria
October 2019
Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
Using a combination of human intestinal epithelial cell culture and computer modelling, it has been possible for the first time to prove that bacteria or their products can cause cancer.
E. coli toxin colibactin can bind to particularly narrow, AT-rich regions of human DNA, as a computer simulation showed, and cause mutations there. The resulting mutation occurs frequently in certain forms of colon cancer. Thus, a kind of genetic fingerprint could be identified, which bacteria leave behind in the DNA. This mutation signature can already be identified in still healthy cells and opens up promising avenues for further studies in the field of cancer prevention.
Colibactin DNA damage signature indicates causative role in colorectal cancer
Thomas F. Meyer
Added on: 06-24-2020
[1] https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/819854v1[2] https://www.bionity.com/en/news/1166597/bacteria-leave-signature-in-colon-cancer-cells.html?pk_campaign=ca0264&WT.mc_id=ca0264
