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Drewes JL, Chen J, Markham NO, Knippel RJ, Domingue JC, Tam AJ, Chan JL, Kim L, McMann M, Stevens C, Dejea CM, Tomkovich S, Michel J, White JR, Mohammad F, Campodónico VL, Heiser CN, Wu X, Wu S, Ding H, Simner P, Carroll K, Shrubsole MJ, Anders RA, Walk ST, Jobin C, Wan F, Coffey RJ, Housseau F, Lau KS, Sears CL. Human Colon Cancer-Derived Clostridioides difficile Strains Drive Colonic Tumorigenesis in Mice. Cancer Discov 2022; 12:1873-1885. [PMID: 35678528 PMCID: PMC9357196 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-21-1273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Defining the complex role of the microbiome in colorectal cancer and the discovery of novel, protumorigenic microbes are areas of active investigation. In the present study, culturing and reassociation experiments revealed that toxigenic strains of Clostridioides difficile drove the tumorigenic phenotype of a subset of colorectal cancer patient-derived mucosal slurries in germ-free ApcMin/+ mice. Tumorigenesis was dependent on the C. difficile toxin TcdB and was associated with induction of Wnt signaling, reactive oxygen species, and protumorigenic mucosal immune responses marked by the infiltration of activated myeloid cells and IL17-producing lymphoid and innate lymphoid cell subsets. These findings suggest that chronic colonization with toxigenic C. difficile is a potential driver of colorectal cancer in patients. SIGNIFICANCE Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer and cancer-related deaths worldwide, with a multifactorial etiology that likely includes procarcinogenic bacteria. Using human colon cancer specimens, culturing, and murine models, we demonstrate that chronic infection with the enteric pathogen C. difficile is a previously unrecognized contributor to colonic tumorigenesis. See related commentary by Jain and Dudeja, p. 1838. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1825.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia L. Drewes
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jie Chen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Nicholas O. Markham
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Reece J. Knippel
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jada C. Domingue
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ada J. Tam
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - June L. Chan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Lana Kim
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Madison McMann
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Courtney Stevens
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Christine M. Dejea
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Sarah Tomkovich
- Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - John Michel
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Fuad Mohammad
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Victoria L. Campodónico
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Cody N. Heiser
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and Program in Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Xinqun Wu
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Shaoguang Wu
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Hua Ding
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Patricia Simner
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Karen Carroll
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Martha J. Shrubsole
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Robert A. Anders
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Seth T. Walk
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
| | - Christian Jobin
- Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Fengyi Wan
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Robert J. Coffey
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Franck Housseau
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ken S. Lau
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and Program in Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Cynthia L. Sears
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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