About this Research Topic
The human intestine possesses a wide microbial ecosystem (known as microbiota) that is different between individuals, dynamic over time and key for keeping the homeostasis of the organism. In human health, the function of the microbiota is to maintain a dynamic equilibrium with the host, playing both local and remote roles in important physiological processes, particularly inflammation, and immune response. The regulation of gut microbiota is mediated by a broad number of aspects, such as microbiological factors, host characteristics, diet patterns, and environmental variables. Besides, the complexity of the mammalian microbiota implies a need for simple models to decipher the effector and regulatory mechanisms underlying host and microbiota relation.
Thanks to the revolution in sequencing technologies, the composition of commensal bacteria communities and their collective genome (metagenome) started to be deciphered not long ago. Over the past decade, it has become clear that gut microbes can produce DNA-damaging toxins and carcinogenic metabolites, induce cancer-promoting inflammation, make tumours more resistant to chemotherapy drugs, and suppress the body’s anticancer immune responses. In other words, alterations in the relationship between the host and gut microbiota (termed as dysbiosis) affect oncogenesis, tumour progression, and even response to cancer therapies. On the contrary host defense against pathogens is, in part, mediated through gut microbiota action and requires intimate interpretation of the current microenvironment and discrimination between commensal and occasional bacteria. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate and understand the associations, and the exact mechanisms implied in regulating the microbial communities and their metabolites associated with cancer risk and development.
This Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the study of molecular and cellular aspects of regulatory mechanisms underlying host/microbiota mutualism and its involvement in cancer. We further aim at recapitulating studies focused on the impact of the gut microbiota or their metabolites on the risk of cancer development, the induce of oncogenes expression, and tumour progression.
We welcome the submission of Original Research Articles, Reviews, and Mini-reviews including, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Gut microbiota composition associated with the risk of cancer development.
• Impact of gut microbes on the oncogenesis and tumour progression.
• Characterization of the metabolites from gut microbes with carcinogen and/or mutagenic potential.
• Established mechanisms microbiota-mediated associated with DNA-damaging toxins.
• In vitro and in vivo models to decipher the effector and regulatory mechanisms underlying host and microbiota relation.
Thanks to the revolution in sequencing technologies, the composition of commensal bacteria communities and their collective genome (metagenome) started to be deciphered not long ago. Over the past decade, it has become clear that gut microbes can produce DNA-damaging toxins and carcinogenic metabolites, induce cancer-promoting inflammation, make tumours more resistant to chemotherapy drugs, and suppress the body’s anticancer immune responses. In other words, alterations in the relationship between the host and gut microbiota (termed as dysbiosis) affect oncogenesis, tumour progression, and even response to cancer therapies. On the contrary host defense against pathogens is, in part, mediated through gut microbiota action and requires intimate interpretation of the current microenvironment and discrimination between commensal and occasional bacteria. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate and understand the associations, and the exact mechanisms implied in regulating the microbial communities and their metabolites associated with cancer risk and development.
This Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the study of molecular and cellular aspects of regulatory mechanisms underlying host/microbiota mutualism and its involvement in cancer. We further aim at recapitulating studies focused on the impact of the gut microbiota or their metabolites on the risk of cancer development, the induce of oncogenes expression, and tumour progression.
We welcome the submission of Original Research Articles, Reviews, and Mini-reviews including, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Gut microbiota composition associated with the risk of cancer development.
• Impact of gut microbes on the oncogenesis and tumour progression.
• Characterization of the metabolites from gut microbes with carcinogen and/or mutagenic potential.
• Established mechanisms microbiota-mediated associated with DNA-damaging toxins.
• In vitro and in vivo models to decipher the effector and regulatory mechanisms underlying host and microbiota relation.
Keywords: Microbiome, Microbiota-Mediated DNA Damage, Gut Microbiota, Dysbiosis, Cancer
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
