TUM Study Links Cancer to Gut Microbiome via Cellular Mechanism
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have discovered a cellular mechanism that alters the gut microbiome in a way that promotes cancer. The study, published in the journal Nature, found that up to 38 percent of cancer patients over the age of 50 showed chronic activation of a protein called ATF6, leading to increased production of long-chain fatty acids.
The research team, led by Dirk Haller, demonstrated this process using intestinal organoids and mice. They showed that mice without a microbiome did not develop cancer even with permanent ATF6 activation. The mechanism involves ATF6, which under chronic activation, changes lipid metabolism in intestinal cells to produce more long-chain fatty acids. These long-chain fatty acids serve as food for certain bacteria, such as Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis, causing them to multiply and change the composition of the microbiome. This, in turn, promotes inflammation and cancer growth.
The study is part of a broader field of biomedical research exploring the role of the gut microbiome in cancer promotion. Key researchers and institutions in this field include Peer Bork at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wendy Garrett at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Giorgio Trinchieri at the National Cancer Institute, among others.
The TUM study highlights the complex interplay between cellular mechanisms and the gut microbiome in cancer development. Further research is needed to understand the full implications of these findings and to develop potential therapies targeting this mechanism.
