Colorectal cancer-associated microbiota contributes to oncogenic epigenetic signatures [12 novembre 2019]

 Description

The sporadic colorectal cancers (CRC) result from complex interactions between the individuals and the environment. The increasing incidence of CRCs suggests an unfavorable evolution of the environment, the components of which may induce DNA (genetic and epigenetic) alterations in the human colonic cells.

Several studies have investigated the role of the microbiota as a mediator of these interactions. The team of the gastroenterology department of the Henri-Mondor AP-HP Hospital and the Paris-Est Créteil University, and a joined team from Inserm U1202 "Microbial Molecular Pathogenesis Unit" in the Institut Pasteur of Paris, in collaboration with their American colleagues from Mayo Clinic, demonstrated in mice, that the epigenetic mechanism favored by certain bacteria in the stool contributed to the occurrence or promotion of sporadic colorectal cancers before performing a final validation in humans.