Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Publication Date
12-1-2025
Journal
Gut Microbes
DOI
10.1080/19490976.2024.2442522
PMID
39722539
Abstract
Cancerous tissue is a largely unexplored microbial niche that provides a unique environment for the colonization and growth of specific bacterial communities, and with it, the opportunity to identify novel bacterial species. Here, we report distinct features of a novel Fusobacterium species, F. sphaericum sp. nov. (Fs), isolated from primary colon adenocarcinoma tissue. We acquire the complete closed genome and associated methylome of this organism and phylogenetically confirm its classification into the Fusobacterium genus, with F. perfoetens as its closest neighbor. Fs is phenotypically and genetically distinct, with morphological analysis revealing its coccoid shape, that while similar to F. perfoetens is rare for most Fusobacterium members. Fs displays a metabolic profile and antibiotic resistance repertoire consistent with other Fusobacterium species. In vitro, Fs has adherent and immunomodulatory capabilities, as it intimately associates with human colon cancer epithelial cells and promotes IL-8 secretion. An analysis of the prevalence and abundance of Fs in > 20,000 human metagenomic samples shows that it is a rarely detected member within human stool with variable relative abundance, found in both healthy controls and patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Our study sheds light on a novel bacterial species isolated directly from the human CRC tumor niche and given its in vitro interaction with cancer epithelial cells suggests that its role in human health and disease warrants further investigation.
Keywords
Humans, Interleukin-8, Colonic Neoplasms, Fusobacterium, Epithelial Cells, Phylogeny, Bacterial Adhesion, Colon, Feces, Adenocarcinoma, Gastrointestinal Microbiome, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S, Genome, Bacterial, Fusobacterium, colorectal cancer, comparative genomics, intestinal microbiota, novel species, pangenome
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Zepeda-Rivera, Martha A; Eisele, Yannick; Baryiames, Alexander; et al., "Fusobacterium sphaericum sp nov, Isolated From a Human Colon Tumor Adheres to Colonic Epithelial Cells and Induces Il-8 Secretion" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 4552.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthgsbs_docs/4552
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