Metatranscriptomic analysis of tumor tissue microbiota in colon cancer (microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com)

• F. nucleatum more active in tumor tissue than control mucosa
• Activity correlated with oral bacteria (P. micra, P. stomatis)
• Increased expression of LPS and amino acid genes in tumor
• Virulence factors of F. nucleatum upregulated in tumor
• Bacterial cluster correlated with human inflammation and metastasis genes

"A Spanish study analyzed metatranscriptomic data from 18 pairs of tumor and control tissue, plus 15 subgingival samples from colorectal cancer patients. Fusobacterium nucleatum was more active in tumor tissue and positively correlated with other oral bacteria like Parvimonas micra and Peptostreptococcus stomatis. Functional analysis showed increased amino acid and LPS gene expression in tumors. Virulence factors of F. nucleatum were upregulated in tumors. The bacterial cluster correlated with human inflammation and metastasis genes."