CBE Colloquia - The Ins and Outs of Intratumor Bacteria in Breast Cancer Malignancy
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The intratumor microbiota, comprising bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms, has emerged as a critical factor in the initiation, progression and therapeutic response of various cancers. Specific for cancer metastasis, which is responsible for 90% of cancer-related mortalities, there is an increasing body of evidence elucidating their significance in fostering metastasis by enhancement of oncogenic pathway, resistance to fluid shear stress, and cellular adhesion, thereby empowering cancer cells intrinsically. Our previous work has revealed that intratumor bacteria are able to invade cancer cells and stay intracellularly, and can co-migrate with cancer cells to distal organ, promoting cancer cell survival by reducing mechanical stress induced damages. The intratumor bacteria can either stay intracellularly or extracellularly, exhibiting distinct roles in crosstalk with host cells, as well as the immune system. In this talk, I will share our recent findings on how the loc! ation of the intratumor bacteria determine cancer development, with potential implications in better management of cancer patients.
Dr. Shang Cai is currently a tenured associate professor in School of Life Sciences, Westlake University. He received his bachelor degree of biological science in Peking University in 2003. He then went abroad to the Biochemistry Department of Indiana University for his PhD studies for mechanism of cell division. He pursued his postdoc research in the Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University, working on the mechanism of self-renewal and fate specification of mammary stem cell and breast cancer stem cell. He joined Westlake University as assistant professor in 2017. Dr. Shang Cai’s research focused on dissecting the physiological roles of the intricate cancer ecosystem, in particular the intratumor microbiota, in cancer initiation and malignancy.