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

A deep-sea isopod Bathyopsurus nybelini adapted to feed submerged Sargassum algae

NEWS - Incredible footage shows a marine species, Bathyopsurus nybelini , feeding on something that sinks from the ocean’s surface. Researchers using the submersible Alvin found the isopod swimming 3.7 miles down using its paddle-like legs to catch an unexpected food source: Sargassum. Researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the University of Montana, SUNY Geneseo, Willamette University and the University of Rhode Island found the algae sinking, while the isopod waited and adapted specifically to find and feed on the sinking nutrient source. The Sargassum lives on the surface for photosynthesis. The discovery of a deep-sea animal that relies on food that sinks from the waters miles above underscores the close relationship between the surface and the deep. “It’s fascinating to see this beautiful animal actively interacting with sargassum, so deep in the ocean. This isopod is extremely rare; only a handful of specimens were collected during the groundbreaking Swedis

Ngamugawi wirnagarri reveals evolution of coelacanth fish and history of life on earth

NEWS - An ancient Devonian coelacanth has been remarkably well preserved in a remote location in Western Australia linked to increased tectonic activity. An international team of researchers analysed fossils of the primitive fish from the Gogo Formation of Ngamugawi wirngarri , which straddles a key transition period in the history of coelacanths, between the most primitive and more modern forms. The new fish species adds to the evidence for Earth’s evolutionary journey. Climate change, asteroid strikes and plate tectonics are all key subjects in the origins and extinctions of animals that played a major role in evolution. Is the world’s oldest ‘living fossil’ the coelacanth still evolving? “We found that plate tectonic activity had a major influence on the rate of coelacanth evolution. New species are more likely to have evolved during periods of increased tectonic activity when new habitats were divided and created,” says Alice Clement of Flinders University in Adelaide. The Late Dev

Species going extinct every day and without warning

NEWS - The current rate of human-caused extinction is up to 700 times higher than it was in the past. Extinctions are no different for plants, animals and fungi, although the extinctions of botanicals and invertebrates have been far worse than those of vertebrates. The mass extinctions increased from 1890 to 1940, but a decline in extinctions was only recorded after the 1980s, likely due to taxonomic bottlenecks and the pre-1800 extinction rates being affected by a lack of data. The number of species varies from 2-8 million to 1 trillion, and estimates suggest that most species, especially microbes and fungi that may be key to healthy ecosystems, are still undiscovered. The biodiversity crisis is therefore extremely difficult to measure. “If we don’t know what we have, it’s impossible to measure how much we’re losing. This taxonomic gap urgently needs to be addressed,” say Maarten Christenhusz and Rafaël Govaerts of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Yet taxonomy is in decline. Misunderst

Dlium