Association of Fusobacterium nucleatum infection with colorectal cancer in Chinese patients

AIM: To investigate Fusobacterium nucleatum(F. nucleatum) abundance in colorectal cancer(CRC) tissues and its association with CRC invasiveness in Chinese patients.METHODS: The resected cancer and adjacent normal tissues(10 cm beyond cancer margins) from 101 consecutive patients with CRC were collected. Fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(FQ-PCR) was applied to detect F. nucleatum in CRC and normal tissues. The difference of F. nucleatum abundance between cancer and normal tissues and the relationship of F. nucleatum abundance with clinical variables were evaluated. Fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH) analysis was performed on 22 CRC tissues with the highest F. nucleatum abundance by FQ-PCR testing to confirm FQ-PCR results.RESULTS: The median abundance of F. nucleatum in CRC tissues [0.242(0.178-0.276)] was significantly higher than that in normal controls [0.050(0.023-0.067)](P < 0.001). F. nucleatum was over-represented in 88/101(87.1%) CRC samples. The abundance of F. nucleatum determined by 2^(-ΔCT) was significantly greater in tumor samples [0.242(0.178, 0.276)] than in normal controls [0.050(0.023, 0.067)](P < 0.001). The frequency of patients with lymph node metastases was higher in the over-abundance group [52/88(59.1%)] than in the under-abundance group [0/13(0%)](P < 0.005). No significant association of F. nucleatum with other clinico-pathological variables was observed(P > 0.05). FISH analysis also found more F. nucleatum in CRC than in normal tissues(median number 6, 25^(th) 3, 75^(th) 10 vs 2, 25^(th) 1, 75^(th) 5)(P < 0.01).CONCLUSION: F. nucleatum was enriched in CRC tissues and associated with CRC development and metastasis.

Effects of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin on immunometabolism,microbiome and liver diseases

Metabolic diseases have overtaken infectious diseases as the most serious public health issue and economic burden in most countries.Moreover,metabolic diseases increase the risk of having infectious diseases.The treatment of metabolic disease may require a long-term strategy of taking multiple medications,which can be costly and have side effects.Attempts to expand the therapeutic use of vaccination to prevent or treat metabolic diseases have attracted significant interest.A growing body of evidence indicates that Bacillus Calmette-Guerin(BCG)offers protection against non-infectious diseases.The non-specific effects of BCG occur likely due to the induction of trained immunity.In this regard,understanding how BCG influences the development of chronic metabolic health including liver diseases would be important.This review focuses on research on BCG,the constellation of disorders associated with metabolic health issues including liver diseases and diabetes as well as how BCG affects the gut microbiome,immunity,and metabolism.

Targeting stroma and tumor,silencing galectin 1 treats orthotopic mouse hepatocellular carcinoma

This study examines inhibiting galectin 1(Gal1)as a treatment option for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Gal1 has immunosuppressive and cancer-promoting roles.Our data showed that Gal1 was highly expressed in human and mouse HCC.The levels of Gal1 positively correlated with the stages of human HCC and negatively with survival.The roles of Gal1 in HCC were studied using overexpression(OE)or silencing using Igals1 siRNA delivered by AAV9.Prior to HCC initiation induced by RAS and AKT mutations,lgals1-OE and silencing had opposite impacts on tumor load.The treatment effect of lgals1 siRNAwas further demonstrated by intersecting HCC at different time points when the tumor load had already reached 9%or even 42%of the body weight.Comparing spatial transcriptomic profiles of Gal1 silenced and OE HCC,inhibiting matrix formation and recognition of foreign antigen in CD45t cell-enriched areas located at tumor-margin likely contributed to the anti-HCC effects of Gal1 silencing.Within the tumors,silencing Gal1 inhibited translational initiation,elongation,and termination.Furthermore,Gal1 silencing increased immune cells as well as expanded cytotoxic T cells within the tumor,and the anti-HCC effect of lgals1 siRNAwas CD8-dependent.Overall,Gal1 silencing has a promising potential for HCC treatment.

The role of gut microbiota in liver disease development and treatment

Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide,and the third most common cause of cancer-related death.Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),which accounts for more than 90%of primary liver cancers,is an important public health problem.In addition to cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B viral(HBV)or hepatitis C viral(HCV)infection,non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)is becoming a major risk factor for liver cancer because of the prevalence of obesity.Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH)will likely become the leading indication for liver transplantation in the future.It is well recognized that gut microbiota is a key environmental factor in the pathogenesis of liver disease and cancer.The interplay between gut microbiota and liver disease has been investigated in animal and clinical studies.In this article,we summarize the roles of gut microbiota in the development of liver disease as well as gut microbiota-targeted therapies.

Regulation of bile acid receptor activity

Many receptors can be activated by bile acids(BAs)and their derivatives.These include nuclear receptors farnesoid X receptor(FXR),pregnane X receptor(PXR),and vitamin D receptor(VDR),as well as membrane receptors Takeda G protein receptor 5(TGR5),sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2(S1PR2),and cholinergic receptor muscarinic 2(CHRM2).All of them are implicated in the development of metabolic and immunological diseases in response to endobiotic and xenobiotic exposure.Because epigenetic regulation is critical for organisms to adapt to constant environmental changes,this review article summarizes epigenetic regulation as well as post-transcriptional modification of bile acid re-ceptors.In addition,the focus of this review is on the liver and digestive tract although these receptors may have effects on other organs.Those regulatory mechanisms are implicated in the disease process and critically important in uncovering innovative strategy for prevention and treatment of metabolic and immunological diseases.