Abstract

Of Microbes and Cancer Inflammation is a well-established driver of tumorigenesis. For example, patients with inflammatory bowel disease have an elevated risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). Whether the gut microbiota also contributes to the development of CRC is less well understood. Arthur et al. (p. 120 , published online 16 August; see the Perspective by Schwabe and Wang ) now show that the microbiota does indeed promote tumorigenesis in an inflammation-driven model of CRC in mice. Although germ-free mice were protected against developing cancer, colonization of mice with Escherichia coli was sufficient to drive tumorigenesis.