A Toxic Friend: Genotoxic and Mutagenic Activity of the Probiotic Strain Escherichia coli Nissle 1917.

ABSTRACT: The probiotic Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 (DSM 6601, Mutaflor), generally considered beneficial and safe, has been used for a century to treat various intestinal diseases. However, Nissle 1917 hosts in its genome the pks pathogenicity island that codes for the biosynthesis of the genotoxin colibactin. Colibactin is a potent DNA alkylator, suspected to play a role in colorectal cancer development. We show in this study that Nissle 1917 is functionally capable of producing colibactin and inducing interstrand cross-links in the genomic DNA of epithelial cells exposed to the probiotic. This toxicity was even exacerbated with lower doses of the probiotic, when the exposed cells started to divide again but exhibited aberrant anaphases and increased gene mutation frequency. DNA dam

SUBMITTER: Nougayrede JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8386472 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature