A commensal strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis protects against skin neoplasia.

Authors

Teruaki Nakatsuji
Tiffany H Chen
Anna M Butcher
Lynnie L Trzoss
Sang-Jip Nam
Karina T Shirakawa
Wei Zhou, The Jackson LaboratoryFollow
Julia Oh, The Jackson LaboratoryFollow
Michael Otto
William Fenical
Richard L Gallo

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-28-2018

JAX Source

Sci Adv 2018 Feb 28; 4(2):eaao4502

Volume

4

Issue

2

First Page

4502

Last Page

4502

ISSN

2375-2548

PMID

29507878

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aao4502

Grant

AR064781, AI116576, AI117673

Abstract

We report the discovery that strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis produce 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine (6-HAP), a molecule that inhibits DNA polymerase activity. In culture, 6-HAP selectively inhibited proliferation of tumor lines but did not inhibit primary keratinocytes. Resistance to 6-HAP was associated with the expression of mitochondrial amidoxime reducing components, enzymes that were not observed in cells sensitive to this compound. Intravenous injection of 6-HAP in mice suppressed the growth of B16F10 melanoma without evidence of systemic toxicity. Colonization of mice with an S. epidermidis strain producing 6-HAP reduced the incidence of ultraviolet-induced tumors compared to mice colonized by a control strain that did not produce 6-HAP. S. epidermidis strains producing 6-HAP were found in the metagenome from multiple healthy human subjects, suggesting that the microbiome of some individuals may confer protection against skin cancer. These findings show a new role for skin commensal bacteria in host defense. Sci Adv 2018 Feb 28; 4(2):eaao4502

Comments

Open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.

Recommended Citation

Nakatsuji T, Chen T, Butcher A, Trzoss L, Nam S, Shirakawa K, Zhou W, Oh J, Otto M, Fenical W, Gallo R. A commensal strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis protects against skin neoplasia. Sci Adv 2018 Feb 28; 4(2):eaao4502