microbe helps microbe！ Some of the viruses that cause cancer suppress the immune system with the help of common bacteria

Gut bacteria have far-reaching health effects by aiding digestion, providing nutrients and metabolites, and working with the immune system to fight off pathogens

A new study by researchers at the University of Chicago suggests that some symbiotic bacteria promote the development of leukemia caused by the mouse leukemia virus (MuLV) by inhibiting the adaptive anti-tumor immune response in animals

Dr.

Cancer is often thought to be the result of spontaneous mutations that cause cells to grow and multiply out of control, forming tumors

Some cancer-causing retroviruses use gut microbes to spread and replicate

In the new study, the researchers wanted to understand whether commensal bacteria, in addition to assisting in virus-induced cancer replication, influenced their development

Virus-induced cancer cells all express viral antigens, or molecules that label them as hosts, making them targets

The team conducted a series of experiments with specially designed immunodeficient mice, so they lacked an adaptive immune system

The researchers then found that the symbiotic bacteria induced three genes

"Now we have to figure out what's so special about bacteria that have these traits," she says

essay

Gut commensal bacteria enhance pathogenesis of a tumorigenic murine retrovirus