Department of Therapeutic Research and Medicines Evaluation, Superior Health Institute, viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Toxins (Basel). 2013 Aug 14;5(8):1462-74. doi: 10.3390/toxins5081462.
Certain strains of Escherichia coli have been indicated as a risk factor for colon cancer. E. coli is a normal inhabitant of the human intestine that becomes pathogenic, especially in extraintestinal sites, following the acquisition of virulence factors, including the protein toxin CNF1. This Rho GTPases-activating toxin induces dysfunctions in transformed epithelial cells, such as apoptosis counteraction, pro-inflammatory cytokines' release, COX2 expression, NF-kB activation and boosted cellular motility. As cancer may arise when the same regulatory pathways are affected, it is conceivable to hypothesize that CNF1-producing E. coli infections can contribute to cancer development. This review focuses on those aspects of CNF1 related to transformation, with the aim of contributing to the identification of a new possible carcinogenic agent from the microbial world.
某些大肠杆菌菌株已被认为是结肠癌的一个风险因素。大肠杆菌是人类肠道中的一种正常寄居菌，在获得毒力因子后，特别是在肠外部位，会变得具有致病性，包括蛋白质毒素 CNF1。这种 Rho GTPases 激活毒素会引起转化上皮细胞的功能障碍，如抗细胞凋亡、促炎细胞因子释放、COX2 表达、NF-kB 激活和增强细胞迁移。由于相同的调节途径受到影响时可能会引发癌症，可以想象，产生 CNF1 的大肠杆菌感染可能有助于癌症的发展。这篇综述集中讨论了与转化相关的 CNF1 方面，旨在确定微生物世界中一种新的可能致癌剂。
