Skin fungus Malassezia globosa colonization accelerates breast cancer tumor growth

NEWS - Skin fungus Malassezia globosa colonization accelerates breast cancer (BRAC) tumor growth. The skin fungus, which commonly causes dandruff and dermatitis, can invade deep tissues through the skin or other routes, leading to tumor growth. The new findings add to the growing body of evidence linking the fungus to cancer.

Qi-Ming Wang of Hebei University and colleagues transplanted tumors into mouse breast cancer cells and then injected M. globosa into the mammary gland fat pads. At the end of the experiment, they collected tumor tissue and observed the intertumoral M. globosa content, suggesting that the yeast may participate in BRAC carcinogenesis.

The researchers found M. globosa colonized the mammary fat pads, leading to tumor growth. The mammary fat pads provided an external source of lipids for the growth of M. globosa as a lipophilic basidiomycetous yeast and contributed to shorter patient survival.

“The relationship between microbes and cancer has begun to receive attention, although it is still controversial. An imbalance in the microflora in the tumor may lead to disruption of the tumor microenvironment,” Wang said.

“It is important to take care of your skin not only for beauty but also for health. As a factor promoting tumor growth, intertumoral microorganisms deserve more attention,” Wang said.

Fungi can promote tumor growth, but the related pathways are still unclear. Wang pointed out M. globosa is a possible factor for BRAC development and the mechanism involves the IL-17A/macrophage axis. Meanwhile, overexpression of Sphk1 induced by M. globosa infection also promoted MCF-7 cell proliferation from the perspective of tumor immune microenvironment.

“Helicobacter pylori has emerged as a potential cause of gastric cancer. Fusobacterium nucleatum has been identified as a potential colorectal cancer biomarker in stool and is mainly found in the tumor microenvironment,” Wang said.

“Bacteria or fungi may play direct (e.g., toxins) or indirect (e.g., inhibition of anti-tumor immune responses) roles in the tumorigenesis pathway of many of these risk factors. The imbalance of microbial homeostasis in tumors has certain significance for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis,” Wang said.

Original research

Liu M, Zhu H, Bai J, Tian Z, Zhao Y, Boekhout T, Wang Q. 0. (2024). Breast cancer colonization by Malassezia globosa accelerates tumor growth. mBio 0:e01993-24, DOI:10.1128/mbio.01993-24

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