Cancer's second genome: Microbial cancer diagnostics and redefining clonal evolution as a multispecies process: Humans and their tumors are not aseptic, and the multispecies nature of cancer modulates clinical care and clonal evolution. (6th March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sepich‐Poore, Gregory D.; Guccione, Caitlin; Laplane, Lucie; Pradeu, Thomas; Curtius, Kit; Knight, Rob
• Is Part Of: BioEssays. Volume 44:Number 5(2022)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2022-03-06
• Subjects: cancer microbiome -- clonal evolution -- diagnostics -- prognostics -- therapeutic modulation; Molecular biology -- Periodicals; Cytology -- Periodicals; Developmental biology -- Periodicals; 572.8
• DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100252
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0265-9247

Abstract

Abstract: The presence and role of microbes in human cancers has come full circle in the last century. Tumors are no longer considered aseptic, but implications for cancer biology and oncology remain underappreciated. Opportunities to identify and build translational diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics that exploit cancer's second genome—the metagenome—are manifold, but require careful consideration of microbial experimental idiosyncrasies that are distinct from host‐centric methods. Furthermore, the discoveries of intracellular and intra‐metastatic cancer bacteria necessitate fundamental changes in describing clonal evolution and selection, reflecting bidirectional interactions with non‐human residents. Reconsidering cancer clonality as a multispecies process similarly holds key implications for understanding metastasis and prognosing therapeutic resistance while providing rational guidance for the next generation of bacterial cancer therapies. Guided by these new findings and challenges, this Review describes opportunities to exploit cancer's metagenome in oncology and proposes an evolutionary framework as a first step towards modeling multispecies cancer clonality. Also see the video abstract here: https://youtu.be/-WDtIRJYZSs Abstract : Gut and intratumoral microbiomes comprise cancer's "second" genome and influence cancer biology. Cancer type and stage‐specific tissue and blood‐derived microbes enable microbially‐informed cancer diagnostics and prognostics. Critically, intratumoral and intracellular microbes shape cancer cell fitness and clonality while having distinct selection pressures, motivating redefining clonal evolution as a multispecies process.