Gut microbiota affects the activation of STING pathway and thus participates in the progression of colorectal cancer

Abstract Background More and more studies showed that gut microbiota was closely related to the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the specific pathway of gut microbiota regulating CRC development is still unknown. Methods We collected fecal samples from 14 CRC patients and 20 normal volunteers for 16 S sequencing analysis. At the same time, 14 CRC patients’ tumors and their adjacent tissues were collected for the detection of STING pathway related protein level. Mice were injected with azoxymethane (AOM) to establish an animal model of CRC, and antibiotics were given at the same time to evaluate the influence of gut microbiota on STING pathway and whether it was involved in regulating the tumor development of CRC mice. Results The sequencing results showed that compared with the normal group, the gut microbiota gut microbiota of CRC patients changed significantly at different species classification levels. At the level of genus, Akkermansia , Ligilactobacillus and Subdoligranulum increased the most in CRC patients, while Bacteroides and Dialister decreased sharply. The expression of STING-related protein was significantly down-regulated in CRC tumor tissues. Antibiotic treatment of CRC mice can promote the development of tumor and inhibit the activation of STING pathway. Conclusion Gut microbiota participates in CRC progress by mediating STING pathway activation.