Microbiome and cancer

The human intestine is believed to contain approximately 100 trillion intestinal (gut) microbiota, comprising about 500-1000 different species. These intestinal microbiota exist in a symbiotic relationship with their host, by metabolizing compounds that the host is unable to utilize and controlling the immune balance of the host's body. However, the composition of the intestinal microbiota is known to vary, depending on diet, nutrition status, and other factors. The recently developed meta-omics microbial data and the technical progress for the metabolome analysis provide a substantial understanding of the role of intestinal microbes and their metabolism. Interestingly, accumulating evidence suggests that the intestinal microbiota contributes to the onset of colorectal cancer, not only via the pro-carcinogenic activities of specific pathogens but also via the influence of the bacterial metabolites. Moreover, since the gut microbial metabolites circulate in the host's body, it has been increasingly recognized that the intestinal microbiota are involved in the pathogenesis of diseases not only in the intestine but also in the organs located distant from the intestine. We recently found that metabolites from obesity-induced intestinal microbiota promoted liver cancer, and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanism. In this review, I first summarize the general understanding on the carcinogenic process by bacterial metabolites, and then discuss on the association between intestinal microbiota and colorectal cancer. In the last part, I will introduce our recent findings on liver cancer promotion by a metabolite of the obesity-induced intestinal microbiota.