Taxonomic and Functional Differences in Cervical Microbiome Associated with Cervical Cancer Development

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Oncology
• Genomics

Background:

• The cervical microbiome's role in cervical cancer risk is known, but its specific changes in cancer are unclear.
• Understanding these microbial shifts is crucial for identifying cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate microbial compositional and functional differences between healthy controls and patients with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer (CIN2/3-CC).
• To identify specific bacterial taxa and metabolic pathways associated with CIN2/3-CC.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective collection of 92 cervical swab samples.
• 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing for microbial identification.
• EzBioCloud pipeline and LEfSe analysis for taxonomic and functional profiling.

Main Results:

• Lower microbial richness observed in the control group compared to the CIN2/3-CC group.
• Increased abundance of Sacchaaribacteria_TM7 phylum, 11 genera, and 21 species in the CIN2/3-CC group.
• Enriched KEGG pathways in CIN2/3-CC group include folate biosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences in cervical microbiome composition and function exist between healthy individuals and those with CIN2/3-CC.
• Specific bacterial taxa and metabolic pathways are associated with cervical cancer progression.
• Further validation in larger cohorts is needed to confirm the association between the cervical microbiome and cervical cancer.