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Updated: Sep 29, 2025

A Gut-on-a-Chip Model to Study the Gut Microbiome-Nervous System Axis
Published on: July 28, 2023
The gut-liver axis: host microbiota interactions shape hepatocarcinogenesis
Maruhen A D Silveira1, Steve Bilodeau2, Tim F Greten3
1Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Oncologie, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l'Université Laval, Québec, QC G1R 3S3, Canada.
Tumors rely on oncogenic transcriptional programs influenced by the tumor microenvironment (TME). Gut microbiota interactions with the TME, particularly in the liver, can disrupt the gut-liver axis, potentially leading to cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Microbiology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Tumors share a common oncogenic transcriptional program regulated by the tumor microenvironment (TME).
- The TME exhibits heterogeneity, influenced by host-microbe interactions with commensal microbiota.
- The gut-liver axis involves a bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiota and the liver.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how the gut microbiota and its metabolites influence liver gene expression.
- To understand the role of gut-liver axis imbalance in carcinogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of host-microbe interactions within the TME.
- Investigation of microbiota's adaptive responses to environmental changes.
- Assessment of gut microbiota's systemic and local modulation of the TME.
Main Results:
- The microbiota adapts to environmental changes, affecting host-microbe interactions.
- Gut microbiota and its metabolites directly and indirectly modulate liver gene expression.
- Imbalance in the gut-liver axis can result from these interactions.
Conclusions:
- The gut microbiota plays a significant role in modulating the liver microenvironment.
- Disruptions in the gut-liver axis due to microbiota influence are implicated in liver disease and carcinogenesis.
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