Journal Article

Persistent Exposure to Mycoplasma Induces Malignant Transformation of Human Prostate Cells

Sakamoto, Noboru, Rosser, Charles J., Iczkowski, Kenneth A., Porvasnik, Stacy, Urbanek, Cydney, Allan, Robert W., Namiki, Kazunori, Goodison, Steve, Reyes, Leticia

2009

Overview

Recent epidemiologic, genetic, and molecular studies suggest infection and inflammation initiate certain cancers, including those of the prostate. The American Cancer Society, estimates that approximately 20% of all worldwide cancers are caused by infection. Mycoplasma, a genus of bacteria that lack a cell wall, are among the few prokaryotes that can grow in close relationship with mammalian cells, often without any apparent pathology, for extended periods of time. In this study, the capacity of Mycoplasma genitalium, a prevalent sexually transmitted infection, and Mycoplasma hyorhinis, a mycoplasma found at unusually high frequency among patients with AIDS, to induce a malignant phenotype in benign human prostate cells (BPH-1) was evaluated using a series of in vitro and in vivo assays. After 19 weeks of culture, infected BPH-1 cells achieved anchorage-independent growth and increased migration and invasion. Malignant transformation of infected BPH-1 cells was confirmed by the formation of xenograft tumors in athymic mice. Associated with these changes was an increase in karyotypic entropy, evident by the accumulation of chromosomal aberrations and polysomy. This is the first report describing the capacity of M. genitalium or M. hyorhinis infection to lead to the malignant transformation of benign human epithelial cells and may serve as a model to further study the relationship between prostatitis and prostatic carcinogenesis.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Aberration / Acquired immune deficiency syndrome / AIDS / Animals / Bacteria / Bacterial infections / Benign / Breast cancer / Cancer / Carcinogenesis / Carcinogens / Cell Biology/Morphogenesis and Cell Biology / Cell culture / Cell cycle / Cell Line, Tumor / Cell Movement / Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Cell walls / Cells (Biology) / Chromosome aberrations / Development and progression / Entropy / Epidemiology / Epithelial cells / Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Genetic transformation / Genotype & phenotype / Health aspects / Humans / Infections / Infectious Diseases/Bacterial Infections / Infectious Diseases/Urological Infections / Inflammation / Laboratories / Male / Mammalian cells / Medical research / Metastasis / Mice / Mice, Nude / Mycoplasma / Mycoplasma genitalium / Mycoplasma genitalium - metabolism / Mycoplasma hyorhinis - metabolism / Mycoplasma Infections - complications / Neoplasm Invasiveness / Neoplasm Transplantation / Pathology / Prokaryotes / Prostate - microbiology / Prostate - pathology / Prostate cancer / Prostatic Neoplasms - microbiology / Prostatic Neoplasms - physiopathology / Prostatitis / Proteins / Rodents / Sexually transmitted diseases / Signal transduction / STD / Studies / Transformation / Tumors / Urology / Urology/Prostate Cancer / Xenografts