REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Cancer Cell Biology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1608248
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Gastrointestinal CancersView all 3 articles
Gut Microbiota Interplay with Autophagy-EMT Dynamics in Colorectal Cancer
Provisionally accepted
Tiziana Vescovo1
Giulio Bontempi1,2Mohammadreza Bayat1,3Lucia Piredda3
Marco Fidaleo2*
Raffaele Strippoli1,2
Manuela Antonioli1,3*- 1National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Rome, Lazio, Italy
- 2Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Lazio, Italy
- 3University of Rome Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
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The human microbiota is composed of a complex community of microorganisms essential for maintaining host homeostasis, especially in the gastrointestinal tract. Emerging evidence suggests that dysbiosis is linked to various cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). The microbiota contributes to CRC development and progression by influencing inflammation, genotoxic stress, and key cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation pathways. Certain bacterial species, including F. nucleatum and E. coli, play a role in tumorigenesis by facilitating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), perturbing autophagy, and supporting immune evasion. In contrast, beneficial microorganisms such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus provide protective effects by boosting immune surveillance and supporting the integrity of the intestinal barrier. This review examines the complex connection between gut microbiota and CRC, emphasizing how changes in microbial composition facilitate tumor development and influence treatment outcomes. We cover recent progress in microbiota-based biomarkers for CRC diagnosis and prognosis, showcasing their promise for early detection and improved patient stratification. Furthermore, we explore microbiota-focused therapeutic methods such as probiotics, prebiotics, faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), and precision antibiotics, which show potential to complement standard CRC treatments. By highlighting the latest advancements in this area, we emphasise how microbiome research is transforming our comprehension of CRC and leading to new diagnostic and treatment approaches.
Keywords: microbiota, autophgay, epithelial mesenchymal transition, colon rectal cancer (CRC), diagnosis, prognosis, Therapeutic intervention
Received: 08 Apr 2025; Accepted: 06 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Vescovo, Bontempi, Bayat, Piredda, Fidaleo, Strippoli and Antonioli. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Marco Fidaleo, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00185, Lazio, Italy
Manuela Antonioli, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.