Figure 2

The hypothesis of bacterial cancer capture-invasion phenotypes. The bacterial SOS response is triggered by DNA damage caused by treatment with replication inhibition anticancer drugs. If damage is so extensive that the cells cannot directly repair, the lesions of damage can be bypassed, leading to mutagenesis and genetic instability. A variety of bacterial mutants can be generated consequently and selected for adhesion to cancer cells and invade them to evade the drug attack. The mutants produce proteins (triangles) that recognize the cancer cells surface (double triangles) and mediate bacterial adhesion to the cancer cells.