Prevalence and chronology of colibactin-associated mutational processes and their microbiome spectra in Japanese colorectal cancer.
Mapping how specific gut bacteria damage colon cells reveals the dominant driver of colorectal cancer, pointing toward prevention through microbiome modification.
Integrating WGS, transcriptomics, and fecal metagenomics with AI-based interpretable microbiome analysis, this Nature Genetics study identifies four distinct CRC subtypes with subtype-specific clinical and molecular features and establishes colibactin exposure (captured by SBS88/ID18 mutational signatures) as the most prevalent early clonal event in Japanese CRC. The birth-cohort age effect implicates shifting gut microbiota as a driver of rising early-onset CRC incidence in Japan and potentially globally.
What the study was
- Study design
- Whole-Genome Sequencing and Metagenomics Cohort Study
- Population
- Japanese colorectal cancer patients with paired WGS, transcriptomics, and fecal metagenomics
- Category
- Genomics/Precision Medicine
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- Nature Genetics
Why it surfaced
Nature Genetics multi-omic study establishing colibactin exposure as a prevalent, potentially modifiable early-onset CRC risk factor; links microbiome-based subtyping with clinical outcomes.
A plain-language summary of published research — not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own care.