Study examines how microbes can influence microRNA to trigger tumor growth Gut microbes can influence the growth of colon cancer, though little is known about how they trigger the disease. A new study conducted by researchers at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas identified a key interaction between Fusobacterium nucleatum, a bacteria commonly linked to gum disease, and a specific ...

Immunologists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have discovered that a protein called NLRC3 plays a central role in inhibiting colon cells from becoming cancerous. The study, led by Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, Ph.D., a member of the St. Jude Department of Immunology, appears online today in the journal Nature. Researchers found that deleting the protective NLRC3 protein exacerbates colon cancer development. They ...

Scientists at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute found that a deep-water marine sponge collected off of Fort Lauderdale’s coast contains leiodermatolide, a natural product that has the ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells as well as block cancer cells from dividing using extremely low concentrations of the compound. This work resulted in the award of a ...