New research findings show a surprising link between oral bacteria and colon cancer, according to a study from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine.
"We found this cancer is linked to an infection from [the bacterium]," said Yiping Han, professor of periodontics at the dental school and the study's lead investigator in a news release. "This discovery creates the potential for new diagnostic tools and therapies to treat and prevent the [colorectal] cancer."
The research was published in journal Cell Host & Microbe. Scientiest also learned how to prevent the bacteria called Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) from attaching to colon cells. A patent application has been filed on work associated with this research, according the news release.
"As Han completed the work on FadA and VE-cadherin, researchers from Harvard University and the University of British Columbia discovered the presence of Fn was higher in malignant tumors compared to the surrounding tissue," Case Western Reserve University said in a news release.
Han said she immediately suspected Fn interacted with cells in the colon similarly to those in blood vessels and shifted her lab's work to focus on colorectal cancer.
"This was one of those serendipitous scientific moments in making this discovery," Han said.
The University offered the following explanation about the findings:
Because her lab was able to track Fn's ability to attach to the VE-cadherin receptor on blood vessels, Han said it didn't take long before her team found how FadA attached to the E-cadherin receptor on cells in the colon.
Subsequently, FadA's attachment to E-cadherin set in motion a protein called ß-catenin, which, among its many functions, produces two important actions in the cancer process: an inflammatory response that alters the immune system, and another that spurs cancer cell growth.
Han's lab designed a novel synthetic peptide that prevents FadA from attaching to E-cadherin and inciting actions that lead to cancer development.
Findings show FadA gene levels were 10 to 100 times "higher than normal in precancerous and malignant colon polyps."
"FadA can be used as a diagnostic marker for early detection of colon cancer. It can also be used to determine if treatment works effectively at reducing Fn load in the colon and the mouth," Han said.
