A news story published by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute claims that some gut bacteria have superpowers. This means they can resuscitate dormant viruses lurking in other microbes.
A bacterial product of particular importance to human health is colibactin, a low molecular weight genotoxin produced by intestinal bacteria. Quite a lot is known about how colibactin affects mammalian cells. Scientists have done research showing how colibactin affects other microorganisms. Previously, it was found that it would be possible to prevent the early onset of cancer in people with high if it is found that their microflora of patients is colibactin-producing E. coli. It was also discovered that bacterial viruses could be incorporated into bacterial DNA and remain inactive in it for a long time. In a newer study, the scientists found that the molecule’s distinctive fingerprints appear in genes known to stimulate colorectal tumor growth (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 2022). The question is how colibactin affects the microbial community and how its production is controlled. This is something that remains to be learned after more research is done.
Scientists have observed that colorectal cancer is most likely collateral damage arising from colibactin-producing bacteria. They produce colibactin to fight neighboring bacterial species, not human cells, which would not make evolutionary sense at all (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 2022). This research is extremely important for societal development; the relevance of the problem of cancer becomes clearer when analyzing mortality rates. Even in developed countries, the number of deaths remains extremely high. The well-being of society depends on how quickly the cause of cancer is discovered. This discovery possibly contributes to the emergence of similar research and thus to a more rapid search for ways to reduce the number of deaths from cancer.
References
Howard Hughes Medical Institute. (2022). How some gut microbes awaken ‘zombie’ viruses in their neighbors. ScienceDaily.