How Marine Bacteria Could Help Fight Cancer
In the vast and dynamic world of the ocean, where temperatures fluctuate, nutrients shift, and chemical conditions evolve constantly, marine bacteria face an endless battle for survival. But they’re not just passive drifters in the currents they are agile, responsive, and astonishingly adaptable. One of their most remarkable tools? Epigenetics.
A recently published scientific article delves into the intricate mechanisms by which Alcanivorax borkumensis, a marine bacterium renowned for its hydrocarbon-degrading capabilities, adapts to changes in its surroundings, particularly concerning iron metabolism. In the marine environment, iron is often a limiting resource, and Alcanivorax borkumensis has evolved the capacity to fine-tune gene expression (i.e. activate silent gene clusters) in real time, often via epigenetic switches like DNA methylation or small regulatory RNAs, to respond to iron fluctuations in its surroundings.
The epigenetic control of iron metabolism is not only key to survival in the ocean’s ever-shifting chemistry, it also mirrors mechanisms at play in human cancer cells. Understanding how epigenetics controls iron-related gene clusters in marine microbes could inform strategies to reactivate or silence genes in human cells towards biomedical innovative therapies.
The work stems from a collective testing protocol launched by CIESM during WK49 and Monaco Ocean Week 2019, promoting shared methodology across institutions.
Deep thanks to the authors for their perseverance in developing such an innovative method, and for trusting their original hypotheses despite the challenges of a complex protocol and massive molecular datasets. This work will undoubtedly pave the way for a new understanding of microbial functioning and dynamics in marine ecosystems.