Microbiota utilization of intestinal amino acids modulates cancer progression and anticancer immunity.

TitleMicrobiota utilization of intestinal amino acids modulates cancer progression and anticancer immunity.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2026
AuthorsQiao S, Li T-T, Jeong M, Liu C, Mizutani S, Hwang S-M, Li Y, Lyu M, Nishiyama K, Tang Y-A, Shi H, Tang YAngelina, Han S-J, Goc J, Parkhurst C, Jin W-B, Yang X, Yang HS, Arifuzzaman M, Sonnenberg GF, Cubillos-Ruiz JR, Yu J, Collins N, Artis D, Guo C-J
Corporate AuthorsJRI Live Cell Bank Consortium
JournalCell Host Microbe
Volume34
Issue1
Pagination18-34.e14
Date Published2026 Jan 14
ISSN1934-6069
KeywordsAmino Acids, Animals, Asparagine, Bacteroides, CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes, Colorectal Neoplasms, Disease Progression, Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Humans, Intestines, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Tumor Microenvironment
Abstract

The human microbiota modulates cancer progression through largely unexplored mechanisms. Defining causal pathways is essential for monitoring and fine-tuning the microbiota to improve cancer treatment. Given that amino acid (aa) metabolism is often dysregulated in cancer, we assessed the role of microbiota pathways that modulate intestinal aa levels on colorectal tumor progression in mice. We found that the Bacteroides gene bo-ansB affects tumor responses to dietary asparagine (Asn) by reducing intestinal Asn levels. In mice receiving dietary Asn, bo-ansB promotes tumor progression by altering tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells. Mechanistically, bo-ansB depletes Asn in the tumor microenvironment (TME), suppressing the expression of an Asn transporter (SLC1A5) in CD8+ T cells and impairing their stem-like properties and effector functions. In humans, microbiota-encoded genes contributing to aa depletion are associated with colorectal cancer progression. Collectively, these findings reveal nutrient-dependent modulation of anticancer immunity by the gut microbiota and identify diet-microbiota-cancer crosstalk as a potential therapeutic target.

DOI10.1016/j.chom.2025.12.003
Alternate JournalCell Host Microbe
PubMed ID41483801
Grant ListR01 DK135816 / DK / NIDDK NIH HHS / United States
R01 CA282072 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
R01 DK132244 / DK / NIDDK NIH HHS / United States
R01 AI178683 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
R01 CA271619 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States