Skin Fungus Malassezia globosa Linked to Tumor Growth
Study reveals Malassezia globosa, a common skin fungus, may promote tumor growth through skin or other pathways.
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Summary
A new study shows that the skin fungus Malassezia globosa can invade breast tissue and accelerate tumor growth. Researchers observed that this fungus colonizes breast fat pads, contributing to tumor progression. The pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17a/macrophage axis plays a key role in this process.
Key Takeaways
A common skin fungus, Malassezia globosa may invade deep tissues through the skin or by other means, then cause tumor growth, according to a new study. The study results were reported in mBio, an open access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
“It is important to take care of skin not only for beauty, but also for health,” said corresponding study author Qi-Ming Wang, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Life Sciences, Institute of Life Sciences and Green Development, Hebei University, Hebei, China. “As a factor promoting tumor growth, intertumoral microorganisms need to be paid more attention.”
Recently, an increasing number of studies have shown a relationship between fungus and cancer. In the new study, Wang and colleagues subjected mouse breast cancer cells to tumor transplantation and then injected the M. globosa into the mammary gland fat pad. At the end of the experiment, they collected the tumor tissue to measure the tumor size and observe the content of intertumoral M. globosa. The researchers discovered that M. globosa colonizes in breast fat pads leading to tumor growth. As a lipophilic yeast, the breast fat pad may provide an external source of lipids for the development of M. globosa, said the researchers. They also found that the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-17a/macrophage axis plays a key role in mechanisms involved in M. globosa-induced breast cancer acceleration from the tumor immune microenvironment perspective.
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Subscribe for FREEAccording to Wang, although the researchers found that M. globosa can promote the growth of tumors, the related transmission route is still unclear.
Reference: Liu MM, Zhu HH, Bai J, et al. Breast cancer colonization by Malassezia globosa accelerates tumor growth. Xu J, ed. mBio. 2024:e01993-24. doi: 10.1128/mbio.01993-24
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