Porphyromonas gingivalis fuels colorectal cancer through CHI3L1-mediated iNKT cell-driven immune evasion.

A preprint abstract from biorxiv.org discusses the role of Porphyromonas gingivalis, an oral pathogen, in colorectal cancer (CRC). The study found that P. gingivalis induces a protumour phenotype in invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells, which affects the composition of mononuclear-phagocyte cells in the tumor microenvironment. The bacterium reduces the cytotoxic functions of iNKT cells by increasing the expression of chitinase 3-like-1 protein (CHI3L1), impairing their ability to fight tumors. The study suggests that neutralizing CHI3L1 could potentially reactivate iNKT cell-mediated antitumor immunity. However, it is important to note that this preprint has not been peer-reviewed. [Extracted from the article]