Gut Microbiota and Colon Cancer: A Role for Bacterial Protein Toxins?

• Main Authors: Carla Fiorentini, Francesca Carlini, Elena Angela Pia Germinario, Zaira Maroccia, Sara Travaglione, Alessia Fabbri
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: colorectal neoplasms; gut microbiota; bacterial protein toxin; bacterial infections; inflammation; carcinogenesis
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/17/6201

Accumulating evidence indicates that the human intestinal microbiota can contribute to the etiology of colorectal cancer. Triggering factors, including inflammation and bacterial infections, may favor the shift of the gut microbiota from a mutualistic to a pro-carcinogenic configuration. In this context, certain bacterial pathogens can exert a pro-tumoral activity by producing enzymatically-active protein toxins that either directly induce host cell DNA damage or interfere with essential host cell signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation. This review is focused on those toxins that, by mimicking carcinogens and cancer promoters, could represent a paradigm for bacterially induced carcinogenesis.