Nature Communications (Feb 2021)

Genomic aberrations after short-term exposure to colibactin-producing E. coli transform primary colon epithelial cells

  • Amina Iftekhar,
  • Hilmar Berger,
  • Nassim Bouznad,
  • Julian Heuberger,
  • Francesco Boccellato,
  • Ulrich Dobrindt,
  • Heiko Hermeking,
  • Michael Sigal,
  • Thomas F. Meyer

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21162-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 15

Abstract

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Colibactin-producing pks+ Escherichia coli are frequent constituents of the human intestinal microbiota. Here, the authors show that short exposure of cells to pks+ E. coli induces chromosomal aberrations, genomic instability, and multiple features of transformation reminiscent of colorectal cancer.