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MacDonald N, Raven N, Diep W, Evans S, Pannipitiya S, Bramwell G, Vanbeek C, Thomas F, Russell T, Dujon AM, Telonis-Scott M, Ujvari B. The molecular evolution of cancer associated genes in mammals. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11650. [PMID: 38773187 PMCID: PMC11109183 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62425-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a disease that many multicellular organisms have faced for millions of years, and species have evolved various tumour suppression mechanisms to control oncogenesis. Although cancer occurs across the tree of life, cancer related mortality risks vary across mammalian orders, with Carnivorans particularly affected. Evolutionary theory predicts different selection pressures on genes associated with cancer progression and suppression, including oncogenes, tumour suppressor genes and immune genes. Therefore, we investigated the evolutionary history of cancer associated gene sequences across 384 mammalian taxa, to detect signatures of selection across categories of oncogenes (GRB2, FGL2 and CDC42), tumour suppressors (LITAF, Casp8 and BRCA2) and immune genes (IL2, CD274 and B2M). This approach allowed us to conduct a fine scale analysis of gene wide and site-specific signatures of selection across mammalian lineages under the lens of cancer susceptibility. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that for most species the evolution of cancer associated genes follows the species' evolution. The gene wide selection analyses revealed oncogenes being the most conserved, tumour suppressor and immune genes having similar amounts of episodic diversifying selection. Despite BRCA2's status as a key caretaker gene, episodic diversifying selection was detected across mammals. The site-specific selection analyses revealed that the two apoptosis associated domains of the Casp8 gene of bats (Chiroptera) are under opposing forces of selection (positive and negative respectively), highlighting the importance of site-specific selection analyses to understand the evolution of highly complex gene families. Our results highlighted the need to critically assess different types of selection pressure on cancer associated genes when investigating evolutionary adaptations to cancer across the tree of life. This study provides an extensive assessment of cancer associated genes in mammals with highly representative, and substantially large sample size for a comparative genomic analysis in the field and identifies various avenues for future research into the mechanisms of cancer resistance and susceptibility in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick MacDonald
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia
| | - Nynke Raven
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia
| | - Wendy Diep
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia
| | - Samantha Evans
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia
| | - Senuri Pannipitiya
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia
| | - Georgina Bramwell
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia
| | - Caitlin Vanbeek
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Tracey Russell
- Faculty of Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Antoine M Dujon
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia
| | - Marina Telonis-Scott
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Burwood, VIC, 3125, Australia
| | - Beata Ujvari
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia.
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Gu L, Xia C, Yang S, Yang G. The adaptive evolution of cancer driver genes. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:215. [PMID: 37098512 PMCID: PMC10131384 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09301-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer is a life-threatening disease in humans; yet, cancer genes are frequently reported to be under positive selection. This suggests an evolutionary-genetic paradox in which cancer evolves as a secondary product of selection in human beings. However, systematic investigation of the evolution of cancer driver genes is sparse. RESULTS Using comparative genomics analysis, population genetics analysis and computational molecular evolutionary analysis, the evolution of 568 cancer driver genes of 66 cancer types were evaluated at two levels, selection on the early evolution of humans (long timescale selection in the human lineage during primate evolution, i.e., millions of years), and recent selection in modern human populations (~ 100,000 years). Results showed that eight cancer genes covering 11 cancer types were under positive selection in the human lineage (long timescale selection). And 35 cancer genes covering 47 cancer types were under positive selection in modern human populations (recent selection). Moreover, SNPs associated with thyroid cancer in three thyroid cancer driver genes (CUX1, HERC2 and RGPD3) were under positive selection in East Asian and European populations, consistent with the high incidence of thyroid cancer in these populations. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that cancer can be evolved, in part, as a by-product of adaptive changes in humans. Different SNPs at the same locus can be under different selection pressures in different populations, and thus should be under consideration during precision medicine, especially for targeted medicine in specific populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Langyu Gu
- State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510275, China.
| | - Canwei Xia
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Shiyu Yang
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510180, Guangdong, China
| | - Guofen Yang
- Department of Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China.
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3
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Maciak S. Cell size, body size and Peto's paradox. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:142. [PMID: 36513976 PMCID: PMC9746147 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02096-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Carcinogenesis is one of the leading health concerns afflicting presumably every single animal species, including humans. Currently, cancer research expands considerably beyond medicine, becoming a focus in other branches of natural science. Accumulating evidence suggests that a proportional scale of tumor deaths involves domestic and wild animals and poses economical or conservation threats to many species. Therefore, understanding the genetic and physiological mechanisms of cancer initiation and its progression is essential for our future action and contingent prevention. From this perspective, I used an evolutionary-based approach to re-evaluate the baseline for debate around Peto's paradox. First, I review the background of information on which current understanding of Peto's paradox and evolutionary concept of carcinogenesis have been founded. The weak points and limitations of theoretical modeling or indirect reasoning in studies based on intraspecific, comparative studies of carcinogenesis are highlighted. This is then followed by detail discussion of an effect of the body mass in cancer research and the importance of cell size in consideration of body architecture; also, I note to the ambiguity around cell size invariance hypothesis and hard data for variability of cell size across species are provided. Finally, I point to the new research area that is driving concepts to identify exact molecular mechanisms promoting the process of tumorigenesis, which in turn may provide a proximate explanation of Peto's paradox. The novelty of the approach proposed therein lies in intraspecies testing of the effect of differentiation of cell size/number on the probability of carcinogenesis while controlling for the confounding effect of body mass/size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Maciak
- grid.25588.320000 0004 0620 6106Department of Evolutionary and Physiological Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Białystok, K. Ciołkowskiego 1J, 15-245 Białystok, Poland
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Dujon AM, Boutry J, Tissot S, Lemaître JF, Boddy AM, Gérard AL, Alvergne A, Arnal A, Vincze O, Nicolas D, Giraudeau M, Telonis-Scott M, Schultz A, Pujol P, Biro PA, Beckmann C, Hamede R, Roche B, Ujvari B, Thomas F. Cancer Susceptibility as a Cost of Reproduction and Contributor to Life History Evolution. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.861103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproduction is one of the most energetically demanding life-history stages. As a result, breeding individuals often experience trade-offs, where energy is diverted away from maintenance (cell repair, immune function) toward reproduction. While it is increasingly acknowledged that oncogenic processes are omnipresent, evolving and opportunistic entities in the bodies of metazoans, the associations among reproductive activities, energy expenditure, and the dynamics of malignant cells have rarely been studied. Here, we review the diverse ways in which age-specific reproductive performance (e.g., reproductive aging patterns) and cancer risks throughout the life course may be linked via trade-offs or other mechanisms, as well as discuss situations where trade-offs may not exist. We argue that the interactions between host–oncogenic processes should play a significant role in life-history theory, and suggest some avenues for future research.
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Sarver AL, Makielski KM, DePauw TA, Schulte AJ, Modiano JF. Increased risk of cancer in dogs and humans: a consequence of recent extension of lifespan beyond evolutionarily-determined limitations? AGING AND CANCER 2022; 3:3-19. [PMID: 35993010 PMCID: PMC9387675 DOI: 10.1002/aac2.12046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cancer is among the most common causes of death for dogs (and cats) and humans in the developed world, even though it is uncommon in wildlife and other domestic animals. We provide a rationale for this observation based on recent advances in our understanding of the evolutionary basis of cancer. Over the course of evolutionary time, species have acquired and fine-tuned adaptive cancer protective mechanisms that are intrinsically related to their energy demands, reproductive strategies, and expected lifespan. These cancer protective mechanisms are general across species and/or specific to each species and their niche, and they do not seem to be limited in diversity. The evolutionarily acquired cancer-free longevity that defines a species' life history can explain why the relative cancer risk, rate, and incidence are largely similar across most species in the animal kingdom despite differences in body size and life expectancy. The molecular, cellular, and metabolic events that promote malignant transformation and cancerous growth can overcome these adaptive, species-specific protective mechanisms in a small proportion of individuals, while independently, some individuals in the population might achieve exceptional longevity. In dogs and humans, recent dramatic alterations in healthcare and social structures have allowed increasing numbers of individuals in both species to far exceed their species-adapted longevities (by 2-4 times) without allowing the time necessary for compensatory natural selection. In other words, the cancer protective mechanisms that restrain risk at comparable levels to other species for their adapted lifespan are incapable of providing cancer protection over this recent, drastic and widespread increase in longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron L. Sarver
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN,Institute for Health Informatics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN,Animal Cancer Care and Research Program, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
| | - Kelly M. Makielski
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN,Animal Cancer Care and Research Program, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN,Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
| | - Taylor A DePauw
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN,Animal Cancer Care and Research Program, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN,Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
| | - Ashley J. Schulte
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN,Animal Cancer Care and Research Program, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN,Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
| | - Jaime F. Modiano
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN,Animal Cancer Care and Research Program, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN,Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN,Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN,Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN,Institute for Engineering in Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
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6
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Dujon AM, Aktipis A, Alix‐Panabières C, Amend SR, Boddy AM, Brown JS, Capp J, DeGregori J, Ewald P, Gatenby R, Gerlinger M, Giraudeau M, Hamede RK, Hansen E, Kareva I, Maley CC, Marusyk A, McGranahan N, Metzger MJ, Nedelcu AM, Noble R, Nunney L, Pienta KJ, Polyak K, Pujol P, Read AF, Roche B, Sebens S, Solary E, Staňková K, Swain Ewald H, Thomas F, Ujvari B. Identifying key questions in the ecology and evolution of cancer. Evol Appl 2021; 14:877-892. [PMID: 33897809 PMCID: PMC8061275 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of evolutionary and ecological principles to cancer prevention and treatment, as well as recognizing cancer as a selection force in nature, has gained impetus over the last 50 years. Following the initial theoretical approaches that combined knowledge from interdisciplinary fields, it became clear that using the eco-evolutionary framework is of key importance to understand cancer. We are now at a pivotal point where accumulating evidence starts to steer the future directions of the discipline and allows us to underpin the key challenges that remain to be addressed. Here, we aim to assess current advancements in the field and to suggest future directions for research. First, we summarize cancer research areas that, so far, have assimilated ecological and evolutionary principles into their approaches and illustrate their key importance. Then, we assembled 33 experts and identified 84 key questions, organized around nine major themes, to pave the foundations for research to come. We highlight the urgent need for broadening the portfolio of research directions to stimulate novel approaches at the interface of oncology and ecological and evolutionary sciences. We conclude that progressive and efficient cross-disciplinary collaborations that draw on the expertise of the fields of ecology, evolution and cancer are essential in order to efficiently address current and future questions about cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine M. Dujon
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesCentre for Integrative EcologyDeakin UniversityWaurn PondsVic.Australia
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpellierFrance
| | - Athena Aktipis
- Biodesign InstituteDepartment of PsychologyArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Catherine Alix‐Panabières
- Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells (LCCRH)University Medical Center of MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Sarah R. Amend
- Brady Urological InstituteThe Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Amy M. Boddy
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCAUSA
| | - Joel S. Brown
- Department of Integrated MathematicsMoffitt Cancer CenterTampaFLUSA
| | - Jean‐Pascal Capp
- Toulouse Biotechnology InstituteINSA/University of ToulouseCNRSINRAEToulouseFrance
| | - James DeGregori
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular GeneticsIntegrated Department of ImmunologyDepartment of PaediatricsDepartment of Medicine (Section of Hematology)University of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraCOUSA
| | - Paul Ewald
- Department of BiologyUniversity of LouisvilleLouisvilleKYUSA
| | - Robert Gatenby
- Department of RadiologyH. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research InstituteTampaFLUSA
| | - Marco Gerlinger
- Translational Oncogenomics LabThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpellierFrance
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs)UMR 7266CNRS‐Université de La RochelleLa RochelleFrance
| | | | - Elsa Hansen
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Biology DepartmentPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
| | - Irina Kareva
- Mathematical and Computational Sciences CenterSchool of Human Evolution and Social ChangeArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Carlo C. Maley
- Arizona Cancer Evolution CenterBiodesign Institute and School of Life SciencesArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Andriy Marusyk
- Department of Cancer PhysiologyH Lee Moffitt Cancer Centre and Research InstituteTampaFLUSA
| | - Nicholas McGranahan
- Translational Cancer Therapeutics LaboratoryThe Francis Crick InstituteLondonUK
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of ExcellenceUniversity College London Cancer InstituteLondonUK
| | | | | | - Robert Noble
- Department of Biosystems Science and EngineeringETH ZurichBaselSwitzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Leonard Nunney
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal BiologyUniversity of California RiversideRiversideCAUSA
| | - Kenneth J. Pienta
- Brady Urological InstituteThe Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Kornelia Polyak
- Department of Medical OncologyDana‐Farber Cancer InstituteBostonMAUSA
- Department of MedicineHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMAUSA
| | - Pascal Pujol
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpellierFrance
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Arnaud de VilleneuveMontpellierFrance
| | - Andrew F. Read
- Center for Infectious Disease DynamicsHuck Institutes of the Life SciencesDepartments of Biology and EntomologyPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
| | - Benjamin Roche
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpellierFrance
- Unité Mixte Internationale de Modélisation Mathématique et Informatique des Systèmes ComplexesUMI IRD/Sorbonne UniversitéUMMISCOBondyFrance
| | - Susanne Sebens
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research Kiel University and University Hospital Schleswig‐HolsteinKielGermany
| | - Eric Solary
- INSERM U1287Gustave RoussyVillejuifFrance
- Faculté de MédecineUniversité Paris‐SaclayLe Kremlin‐BicêtreFrance
| | - Kateřina Staňková
- Department of Data Science and Knowledge EngineeringMaastricht UniversityMaastrichtThe Netherlands
- Delft Institute of Applied MathematicsDelft University of TechnologyDelftThe Netherlands
| | | | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpellierFrance
| | - Beata Ujvari
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesCentre for Integrative EcologyDeakin UniversityWaurn PondsVic.Australia
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Vicens A, Posada D. Selective Pressures on Human Cancer Genes along the Evolution of Mammals. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:genes9120582. [PMID: 30487452 PMCID: PMC6316132 DOI: 10.3390/genes9120582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a disease driven by both somatic mutations that increase survival and proliferation of cell lineages and the evolution of genes associated with cancer risk in populations. Several genes associated with cancer in humans, hereafter cancer genes, show evidence of germline positive selection among species. Taking advantage of a large collection of mammalian genomes, we systematically looked for signatures of germline positive selection in 430 cancer genes available in COSMIC. We identified 40 cancer genes with a robust signal of positive selection in mammals. We found evidence for fewer selective constraints—higher number of non-synonymous substitutions per non-synonymous site to the number of synonymous substitutions per synonymous site (dN/dS)—and higher incidence of positive selection—more positively selected sites—in cancer genes bearing germline and recessive mutations that predispose to cancer. This finding suggests a potential association between relaxed selection, positive selection, and risk of hereditary cancer. On the other hand, we did not find significant differences in terms of tissue or gene type. Human cancer genes under germline positive selection in mammals are significantly enriched in the processes of DNA repair, with high presence of Fanconi anaemia/Breast Cancer A (FA/BRCA) pathway components and T cell proliferation genes. We also show that the inferred positively selected sites in the two genes with the strongest signal of positive selection, i.e., BRCA2 and PTPRC, are in regions of functional relevance, which could be relevant to cancer susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Vicens
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain.
- Biomedical Research Center (CINBIO), University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain.
| | - David Posada
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain.
- Biomedical Research Center (CINBIO), University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain.
- Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, 36310 Vigo, Spain.
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8
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Michalak P, Kang L. Unique divergence of the breast cancer 2 ( BRCA2) gene in Neanderthals. Hereditas 2018; 155:34. [PMID: 30410429 PMCID: PMC6215347 DOI: 10.1186/s41065-018-0073-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Unique divergence of the BRCA2, a tumor suppressor gene, in Neanderthals relative to other primates, including modern humans, is highlighted. This divergence with potentially pathogenic consequences raises a question about cancer susceptibility in the archaic species that was replaced by modern humans about 40,000 years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Michalak
- 1One Health Research Center, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, 1410 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg, VA 24060 USA.,2Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060 USA.,3Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Abba Khoushy Ave 199, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Lin Kang
- 2Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060 USA
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Maciak S, Michalak P. Cell size and cancer: a new solution to Peto's paradox? Evol Appl 2015; 8:2-8. [PMID: 25667599 PMCID: PMC4310577 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer, one of the leading health concerns for humans, is by no means a human-unique malady. Accumulating evidence shows that cancer kills domestic and wild animals at a similar rate to humans and can even pose a conservation threat to certain species. Assuming that each physiologically active and proliferating cell is at risk of malignant transformation, any evolutionary increase in the number of cells (and thus body mass) will lead to a higher cancer frequency, all else being equal. However, available data fail to support the prediction that bigger animals are affected by cancer more than smaller ones. The unexpected lack of correlation between body size (and life span) and cancer risk across taxa was dubbed Peto's paradox. In this perspective, several plausible explanations of Peto's paradox are presented, with the emphasis on a largely underappreciated relation of cell size to both metabolism and cell division rates across species, which we believe are key factors underlying the paradox. We conclude that larger organisms have bigger and slowly dividing cells with lower energy turnover, all significantly reducing the risk of cancer initiation. Solving Peto's paradox will enhance our understanding the evolution of cancer and may provide new implications for cancer prevention and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Maciak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA, USA
- Institute of Biology, University of BialystokBialystok, Poland
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA, USA
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