Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that that can live in the gut, is the single greatest risk for stomach (gastric) cancer. HOW the bacteriaA microscopic organism. Bacteria lack a nucleus. They are found in very large numbers in almost all locations, including the human body. While most bacteria are harmless or necessary, some can cause disease and death. cause the disease is not clear. New research from Swiss and German researchers shows that infection of the gut lining leads to DNAAbbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid. Composed of very long strings of nucleotides, which are abbreviated as A, C, G and T. DNA is the storage form of our genetic material. All of the instructions for the production of proteins are encoded in our DNA. damage in the gut cells. The bacteria don't enter the cells, but just having them attached to the outside seems to be sufficient to cause double-stranded breaks in DNA, shattering the DNA helix into pieces. The researchers showed that most of the damage is repaired but that over longer periods of time, the repair system can be overwhelmed and damage can accumulate. The results sugggest an important way that bacteria can cause changes leading to cancer in their human hosts.
Top