Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Microflora in colorectal cancer: a friend to fear

Nature Medicine volume 16, pages 639–641 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

Activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling by microbes in the intestine promotes tumor growth in genetically susceptible mice. Inactivation of extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK), a molecule downstream of TLR signaling, may offer a route to preventing colorectal cancer (pages 665–670).

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Contribution of bacterial signaling to intestinal tumorigenesis through stabilization of c-myc via TLR-MyD88–mediated activation of ERK.

Kimberly Caesar

References

  1. Center, M.M., Jemal, A., Smith, R.A. & Ward, E. CA Cancer J. Clin. 59, 366–378 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Lee, S.H. et al. Nat. Med. 16, 665–670 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Lemaitre, B., Nicolas, E., Michaut, L., Reichhart, J.M. & Hoffmann, J.A. Cell 86, 973–983 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Nishisho, I. et al. Science 253, 665–669 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Groden, J. et al. Cell 66, 589–600 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Eaden, J.A., Abrams, K.R. & Mayberry, J.F. Gut 48, 526–535 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Rakoff-Nahoum, S. & Medzhitov, R. Science 317, 124–127 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Fukata, M. et al. Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 288, G1055–G1065 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Rakoff-Nahoum, S., Paglino, J., Eslami-Varzaneh, F., Edberg, S. & Medzhitov, R. Cell 118, 229–241 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Fukata, M. et al. Gastroenterology 133, 1869–1881 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Gustafson, W.C. & Weiss, W.A. Oncogene 29, 1249–1259 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Roberts, R.B. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 1521–1526 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Masayuki Fukata is in the Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.,

    Masayuki Fukata

  2. Maria T. Abreu is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.,

    Maria T Abreu

Authors
  1. Masayuki Fukata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maria T Abreu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria T Abreu.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fukata, M., Abreu, M. Microflora in colorectal cancer: a friend to fear. Nat Med 16, 639–641 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0610-639

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0610-639

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Cancer

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Cancer newsletter — what matters in cancer research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get what matters in cancer research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Cancer