PubReading [237] - Effect of the intratumoral microbiota on spatial and cellular heterogeneity in cancer - J. Niño, S. Bullman et al.

The tumour-associated microbiota is an intrinsic component of the tumour microenvironment across human cancer types1,2. Intratumoral host–microbiota studies have so far largely relied on bulk tissue analysis1–3, which obscures the spatial distribution and localized effect of the microbiota within tumours. Here, by applying in situ spatial-profiling technologies4 and single-cell RNA sequencing5 to oral squamous cell carcinoma and colorectal cancer, we reveal spatial, cellular and molecular host–microbe interactions. We adapted 10x Visium spatial transcriptomics to determine the identity and in situ location of intratumoral microbial communities within patient tissues. Using GeoMx digital spatial profiling6, we show that bacterial communities populate microniches that are less vascularized, highly immuno-suppressiv ...