Gut fungal landscape in colorectal cancer and its cross-kingdom interplay with gut microbial ecology.
iScience, 2026/2/20;29(2):114664.
Yinhang W[1, 2, 3, 4], Xueli J[5], Zheng W[2, 3, 4], Xiaojian Y[2, 3, 4], Shu X[2, 3, 4], Qingjie Z[5], Ying L[5], Shuwen H[1, 2, 3, 4, 6]
Affiliations
PMID: 41704769DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.114664
Impact factor: 6.107
Abstract
The gut microbiota is a key hallmark of colorectal cancer (CRC), yet gut fungi remain understudied. We characterized the gut fungal landscape and its associations with bacteria, metabolites, and trace elements in CRC using fecal samples from healthy controls (n = 401), colorectal polyp patients (n = 162), and CRC patients (n = 253). Fungal annotation was performed using genomic data from NCBI (PRJNA833221) as reference. Fungal diversity increased in CRC patients, with seven genera showing differential abundance. Rhizopus was specifically enriched in CRC, while Sporisorium, etc. enriched in polyps. Ablation study identified an optimal 31-microbial-marker panel (28 bacteria and three fungi) that effectively distinguished intestinal disease groups (AUC = 0.89). Structural equation modeling revealed three fungal markers-Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium sp. PG10607D, and Rhizopus stolonifera-that influence bacterial-metabolite-trace element networks. This study delineates the gut fungal atlas in CRC and reveals complex cross-kingdom interactions, offering new insights into CRC pathogenesis.
Keywords: cancer; microbiome; mycology
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