Microbiome Dynamics During Chemoradiation Therapy for Anal Cancer.

Purpose: Patients with localized squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) who experience treatment toxicity or recurrences have few therapeutic options. Investigation into the microbiome's influence on treatment toxicity and its potential use as a predictive biomarker could improve these patients' outcomes. Our study presents the first longitudinal characterization of the SCCA tumor microbiome and its associations with treatment-related toxicities.

Characterization and complementation of a cephalosporin-deficient mutant of Streptomyces clavuligerus NRRL 3585.

We have characterized a mutant of Streptomyces clavuligerus NRRL 3585 which is almost completely blocked in cephalosporin biosynthesis and exhibits depressed activities of both the delta(L-alpha-aminoadipyl)-L-cysteinyl-D-valine (ACV) synthetase and cyclase enzymes of the cephalosporin pathway. A wild-type DNA region was cloned which partially restores antibiotic production, ACV synthetase and cyclase activities to this mutant. The recombinant plasmid exhibits a variable copy number in different transformants.