Fusobacterium nucleatum promotes colorectal carcinogenesis by modulating E-cadherin/β-catenin signaling via its FadA adhesin

SUMMARY Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) has been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC), but causality and underlying mechanisms remain to be established. We demonstrate that Fn adheres to, invades and induces oncogenic and inflammatory responses to stimulate growth of CRC cells through its unique FadA adhesin. FadA binds to E-cadherin, activates β-catenin signaling, and differentially regulates the inflammatory and oncogenic responses. The FadA-binding site on E-cadherin is mapped to an 11 amino acid region. A synthetic peptide derived from this region of E-cadherin abolishes FadA-induced CRC cell growth, and oncogenic and inflammatory responses. FadA levels in the colon tissue from patients with adenomas and adenocarcinomas is >10–100 times higher compared to normal individuals. The increased FadA expression in CRC correlates with increased expression of oncogenic and inflammatory genes. This study unveils a mechanism by which Fn can drive CRC and identifies FadA as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for CRC.