Do Bacteria Cause Cancer? Elucidation of "cell-microbiome interaction" using metabolism as an indicator

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K19629
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 57:Oral science and related fields
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Takahashi Nobuhiro 東北大学, 歯学研究科, 教授 (60183852)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 鷲尾 純平 東北大学, 歯学研究科, 講師 (20400260)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞代謝 / 代謝阻害 / Porphyromonas gingivalis / Gingipain

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It is becoming clear that bacteria are involved in the canceration of cells. Therefore, in this study, we examined the effect of bacteria on cells using metabolism as an indicator using "real-time metabolism monitoring system" that we developed. As a result, the following were clarified. It was found that (1) Porphromonas gingivalis (Pg), which is the most representative periodontal disease-associated bacterium among oral bacteria, suppresses cellular glucose metabolism, (2) the cell glucose metabolism inhibitor is present in the culture supernatant of Pg, and (3) it is not a Pg-specific proteolytic enzyme gingipain but a completely different protein.

Free Research Field

口腔生化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

細菌が細胞のがん化に関わることが明らかになりつつある中、とくに口腔上皮は口腔細菌に常に触れており、その影響は不可避である。生命史の大部分において細胞と細菌は共存してきたが、研究は別々に進められてきた。細胞と細菌のインタラクションの新たな生物学が黎明期を迎える今、両者が共存する口腔を対象とする研究はその最前線となる。本研究で見出された細胞糖代謝をダイレクトに阻害するタンパク質の存在は、細胞と細菌のダイレクトなインタラクションの実例となるとともに、細菌による（がん）細胞コントロールの概念に新たな視点をもたらすものと考えられる。