ArticleNature metabolism2022
The gut microbial metabolite formate exacerbates colorectal cancer progression.
Article in Nature metabolism, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 204 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
204 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 284 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Role of the Gut Microbiome in Clinical Outcomes of Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review (2020-2025).Oncology research · 2026Pooled it
- Global research trends inFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- Glutamine prevents diarrhea in colorectal cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy: a meta-analysis.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of fecal viromes demonstrates high diagnostic potential of the gut viral signatures for colorectal cancer and adenoma risk assessment.Journal of advanced research · 2023Pooled it
- Controlled colonization of the human gut with a genetically engineered microbial therapeutic.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2025Trial
- Clinical efficacy of metformin in familial adenomatous polyposis and the effect of intestinal flora.Orphanet journal of rare diseases · 2024Trial
- Metabolic reprogramming in colorectal cancer: Mechanisms and therapeutic insights.Genes & diseases · 2027Review
- Article
- The impact of gut microbiota and metabolite-driven immune cell spatiotemporal dynamics on tumors.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Gut microbiota and diet in colorectal cancer: Converging determinants of carcinogenesis.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Personalized whole-body modeling links gut microbiota to metabolic perturbations in Alzheimer's disease.Gut microbes · 2026Article
- Amino acid metabolic reprogramming by gut microbiota: a novel metabolic checkpoint in the tumor microenvironment.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Colorectal cancer landscape from gut microbiota: Insights into mutations, epigenetic dysregulation, and immune microenvironment alterations.Virulence · 2026Review
- Targeting FMO3 suppresses the malignant phenotype of colorectal cancer: evidence from bioinformatics to functional experiments.Future science OA · 2026Article
- Metabolic effects of periodontal pathogensJournal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2026Article
- Harnessing microfluidics for microbiology: from bacteria-host interactions to emerging cancer therapies.Communications biology · 2026Review
- Advances in Exercise-Mediated Regulation of the Gut Microbiota via the Muscle-Gut Axis: Implications for Tumor Immunity and Treatment Responses.Metabolites · 2026Review
- Bugging In: Rethinking Colorectal Cancer Pathogenesis Through the Gut-Tumor-Microbiota Axis.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2026Article
- Formic acid released by intratumoralActa pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2026Article
- Pathophysiology of colitis-associated colorectal cancer.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2026Review
144 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
31 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The gut microbiome is a key player in the immunomodulatory and protumorigenic microenvironment during colorectal cancer (CRC), as different gut-derived bacteria can induce tumour growth. However, the crosstalk between the gut microbiome and the host in relation to tumour cell metabolism remains largely unexplored. Here we show that formate, a metabolite produced by the CRC-associated bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum, promotes CRC development. We describe molecular signatures linking CRC phenotypes with Fusobacterium abundance. Cocultures of F. nucleatum with patient-derived CRC cells display protumorigenic effects, along with a metabolic shift towards increased formate secretion and cancer glutamine metabolism. We further show that microbiome-derived formate drives CRC tumour invasion by triggering AhR signalling, while increasing cancer stemness. Finally, F. nucleatum or formate treatment in mice leads to increased tumour incidence or size, and Th17 cell expansion, which can favour proinflammatory profiles. Moving beyond observational studies, we identify formate as a gut-derived oncometabolite that is relevant for CRC progression.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.