What is it about?
Upto a fifth of cancers have infectious origins, including well-known examples of microbes such as viruses (HPV, EBV) and bacteria (H.pylori). The contribution of intracellular eukaryotic parasites to cancer etiology is largely unexplored.
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Why is it important?
Epidemiological and clinical reports indicate that eukaryotic protozoan, such as intracellular apicomplexan that cause diseases of medical or economic importance, can be linked to various cancers: Theileria and Cryptosporidium induce host cell transformation while Plasmodium was linked epidemiologically to the "African lymphoma belt" over fifty years ago.
Perspectives
We discuss epidemiological evidence linking eukaryotic intracellular parasites to cancer onset. These links are strengthened by recent mechanistic studies in three apicomplexan parasites. We describe how intracellular eukaryotic parasites hijack cellular pathways to manipulate the host cell epigenome, cellular machinery, signaling pathways and epigenetic programs and marks, such as methylation and acetylation, for their own benefit.
Prof Jonathan B Weitzman
Universite Paris Diderot
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Parasites et cancer : existe-t-il un lien ?
, médecine/sciences, October 2016, EDP Sciences,
DOI: 10.1051/medsci/20163210020.
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