April 19, 2024

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First fungal biome atlas reveals link to cancer

First fungal biome atlas reveals link to cancer



 

First fungal biome atlas reveals link to cancer. 

According to a paper published in the journal Cell on the 29th, an international team of scientists conducted a study of 35 cancers and their associated fungi, creating the first pan-cancer fungal biota map.

Cancer cells and microbes have a long and lasting connection: the two have co-evolved within the human ecosystem, often relying on the same resources.

 

Competition for these resources often affects the replication and survival of cancer cells, microbes, and human cells.

The role and impact of cancer-associated fungi remain largely unstudied and understood.

 

First fungal biome atlas reveals link to cancer

 

 

 

There are two main types of fungi found on humans: environmental fungi and symbiotic fungi. Fungi play a role in shaping host immunity, for better or worse, and this is evident in immunocompromised people, including cancer patients.


The new study describes the cancer fungal biota, the fungi associated with cancer, in tissue, blood and plasma samples from 17,401 patients with 35 types of cancer.

The researchers found that the abundance of fungal DNA and cells is low in many major human cancers, and that the composition of the community varies across cancer types.

 

Analyses comparing fungal communities with matched bacterial bodies (the bacterial components of the microbiome) and immunosomes (the genes and proteins that make up the immune system) show that their relationships are often ‘inclusive’ rather than competitive .

 

For example, the researchers found that one fungus was enriched in breast cancer tumors from patients over the age of 50, while another was abundant in lung cancer samples.

 

 

First fungal biome atlas reveals link to cancer

 

 

Specific fungi were significantly associated with age, tumor subtype, smoking status, response to immunotherapy and survival measures, the researchers said. Whether these fungi are simply related or causally related remains to be determined.

 

The findings confirm the idea that the entire microbiome is a critical part of cancer biology, which could lead to significant translational opportunities, not only in cancer detection, but also in drug development, cancer evolution, minimal residue, the researchers say.

It may also provide important translational opportunities in the application of the technology in areas such as , relapse and companion diagnostics.

 

 

 

 

First fungal biome atlas reveals link to cancer

(source:internet, reference only)


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