Scientists at the Babraham Institute in the UK have discovered that the human brain and intestines contain a large amount of a substance secreted by the fermenting bacteria of the digestive tract..

It regulates DNA activity and prevents the development of colorectal cancer.. About this, writes Lenta. ru, according to Science Alert, citing an article in the journal Nature Communications.

The compound belongs to the class of short-chain fatty acids (short-chain fatty acids - SCFA), which are produced in the large intestine during the fermentation of dietary fiber by microbes.. These substances include butyric acid, which has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects..

Modifying gene activity without introducing mutations is called epigenetic regulation.. It can be realized in several ways, including through histones - proteins involved in the packaging of DNA strands.. Histones are able to wind nucleotide chains around themselves, preventing the processes of transcription (implementation of genetic information) and replication (doubling of DNA). When histones are acetylated (an acetyl group is added to them), the latter are less strongly associated with genes. As a result, transcription factors freely "

Scientists have shown that SCFAs, synthesized by bacteria that live in a healthy human colon, promote DNA acetylation.. Fatty acids block an enzyme called histone deacetylase 2, which removes acetyl groups from DNA.. Researchers injected mice with antibiotics that destroyed most of the intestinal microflora. It turned out that both the concentration of SCFA and the level of histone acetylation decreased in this case..

Nearly 770,000 people die of colorectal cancer each year.. The main way to prevent this disease is to eat fruits, vegetables and cereals that contain fiber..

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