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Bramwell G, DeGregori J, Thomas F, Ujvari B. Transmissible cancers, the genomes that do not melt down. Evolution 2024; 78:1205-1211. [PMID: 38656785 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpae063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Evolutionary theory predicts that the accumulation of deleterious mutations in asexually reproducing organisms should lead to genomic decay. Clonally reproducing cell lines, i.e., transmissible cancers, when cells are transmitted as allografts/xenografts, break these rules and survive for centuries and millennia. The currently known 11 transmissible cancer lineages occur in dogs (canine venereal tumour disease), in Tasmanian devils (devil facial tumor diseases, DFT1 and DFT2), and in bivalves (bivalve transmissible neoplasia). Despite the mutation loads of these cell lines being much higher than observed in human cancers, they have not been eliminated in space and time. Here, we provide potential explanations for how these fascinating cell lines may have overcome the fitness decline due to the progressive accumulation of deleterious mutations and propose that the high mutation load may carry an indirect positive fitness outcome. We offer ideas on how these host-pathogen systems could be used to answer outstanding questions in evolutionary biology. The recent studies on the evolution of these clonal pathogens reveal key mechanistic insight into transmissible cancer genomes, information that is essential for future studies investigating how these contagious cancer cell lines can repeatedly evade immune recognition, evolve, and survive in the landscape of highly diverse hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgina Bramwell
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - James DeGregori
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Beata Ujvari
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
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2
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Gallinson DG, Kozakiewicz CP, Rautsaw RM, Beer MA, Ruiz-Aravena M, Comte S, Hamilton DG, Kerlin DH, McCallum HI, Hamede R, Jones ME, Storfer A, McMinds R, Margres MJ. Intergenomic signatures of coevolution between Tasmanian devils and an infectious cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2307780121. [PMID: 38466855 PMCID: PMC10962979 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307780121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Coevolution is common and frequently governs host-pathogen interaction outcomes. Phenotypes underlying these interactions often manifest as the combined products of the genomes of interacting species, yet traditional quantitative trait mapping approaches ignore these intergenomic interactions. Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), an infectious cancer afflicting Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii), has decimated devil populations due to universal host susceptibility and a fatality rate approaching 100%. Here, we used a recently developed joint genome-wide association study (i.e., co-GWAS) approach, 15 y of mark-recapture data, and 960 genomes to identify intergenomic signatures of coevolution between devils and DFTD. Using a traditional GWA approach, we found that both devil and DFTD genomes explained a substantial proportion of variance in how quickly susceptible devils became infected, although genomic architectures differed across devils and DFTD; the devil genome had fewer loci of large effect whereas the DFTD genome had a more polygenic architecture. Using a co-GWA approach, devil-DFTD intergenomic interactions explained ~3× more variation in how quickly susceptible devils became infected than either genome alone, and the top genotype-by-genotype interactions were significantly enriched for cancer genes and signatures of selection. A devil regulatory mutation was associated with differential expression of a candidate cancer gene and showed putative allele matching effects with two DFTD coding sequence variants. Our results highlight the need to account for intergenomic interactions when investigating host-pathogen (co)evolution and emphasize the importance of such interactions when considering devil management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan G. Gallinson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL33620
- College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL33620
| | - Christopher P. Kozakiewicz
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA99163
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI49060
| | - Rhett M. Rautsaw
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL33620
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA99163
| | - Marc A. Beer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA99163
| | - Manuel Ruiz-Aravena
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS7001, Australia
- Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Sebastien Comte
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS7001, Australia
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Orange, NSW2800, Australia
| | - David G. Hamilton
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS7001, Australia
| | - Douglas H. Kerlin
- Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD4111, Australia
| | - Hamish I. McCallum
- Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD4111, Australia
| | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS7001, Australia
- CANECEV Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer, Montpellier34394, France
| | - Menna E. Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS7001, Australia
| | - Andrew Storfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA99163
| | - Ryan McMinds
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL33620
- College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL33620
| | - Mark J. Margres
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL33620
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3
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Gérard A, Owen RS, Dujon AM, Roche B, Hamede R, Thomas F, Ujvari B, Siddle HV. In vitro competition between two transmissible cancers and potential implications for their host, the Tasmanian devil. Evol Appl 2024; 17:e13670. [PMID: 38468711 PMCID: PMC10925828 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the emergence of a transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFT1), in the 1980s, wild Tasmanian devil populations have been in decline. In 2016, a second, independently evolved transmissible cancer (DFT2) was discovered raising concerns for survival of the host species. Here, we applied experimental and modelling frameworks to examine competition dynamics between the two transmissible cancers in vitro. Using representative cell lines for DFT1 and DFT2, we have found that in monoculture, DFT2 grows twice as fast as DFT1 but reaches lower maximum cell densities. Using co-cultures, we demonstrate that DFT2 outcompetes DFT1: the number of DFT1 cells decreasing over time, never reaching exponential growth. This phenomenon could not be replicated when cells were grown separated by a semi-permeable membrane, consistent with exertion of mechanical stress on DFT1 cells by DFT2. A logistic model and a Lotka-Volterra competition model were used to interrogate monoculture and co-culture growth curves, respectively, suggesting DFT2 is a better competitor than DFT1, but also showing that competition outcomes might depend on the initial number of cells, at least in the laboratory. We provide theories how the in vitro results could be translated to observations in the wild and propose that these results may indicate that although DFT2 is currently in a smaller geographic area than DFT1, it could have the potential to outcompete DFT1. Furthermore, we provide a framework for improving the parameterization of epidemiological models applied to these cancer lineages, which will inform future disease management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne‐Lise Gérard
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityWaurn PondsVictoriaAustralia
- CREEC/MIVEGEC, CNRS, IRDUniversité de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Rachel S. Owen
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
- Institute for Life SciencesUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
- The Roslin InstituteThe University of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Antoine M. Dujon
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityWaurn PondsVictoriaAustralia
| | - Benjamin Roche
- CREEC/MIVEGEC, CNRS, IRDUniversité de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC/MIVEGEC, CNRS, IRDUniversité de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Beata Ujvari
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityWaurn PondsVictoriaAustralia
| | - Hannah V. Siddle
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
- Institute for Life SciencesUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
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4
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Taylor M, Davison A, Harwood A. Local Ecological Learning: Creating Place-based Knowledge through Collaborative Wildlife Research on Private Lands. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 73:563-578. [PMID: 37950070 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-023-01907-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife across all land tenures is under threat from anthropogenic drivers including climate change, invasive species, and habitat loss. This study focuses on private lands, where effective management for wildlife conservation requires locally relevant knowledge about wildlife populations, habitat condition, threatening ecological processes, and social drivers of and barriers to conservation. Collaborative socio-ecological research can inform wildlife management by integrating the place-based ecological and social knowledge of private landholders with the theoretical and applied knowledge of researchers and practitioners, including that of Traditional Owners. In privately-owned landscapes, landholders are often overlooked as a source of local ecological knowledge grounded in learning through continuous embodied interaction with their environment and community. Here we report on WildTracker, a transdisciplinary socio-ecological research collaboration involving 160 landholders in Tasmania, Australia. This wildlife-focused citizen science project generated and integrated local socio-ecological knowledge in the research process. The project gathered quantitative and qualitative data on wildlife ecology, land management practices, and landholder learning via wildlife cameras, sound recorders, workshops, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. Through this on-going collaboration, landholders, researchers, and conservation practitioners established relationships based on mutual learning, gathering and sharing knowledge, and insights about wildlife conservation. Our project documents how local ecological knowledge develops and changes through everyday processes of enquiry and interaction with other knowledge holders including researchers and conservation practitioners. Qualitative insights derived from the direct experience and citizen science practices of landholders were integrated with quantitative scientific assessments of wildlife populations and habitat condition to produce a novel model of collaborative conservation research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Taylor
- School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
| | - Aidan Davison
- School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Andrew Harwood
- School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
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5
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The devil is in the detail. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:177-178. [PMID: 38337065 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02340-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
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6
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Hamede R, Fountain‐Jones NM, Arce F, Jones M, Storfer A, Hohenlohe PA, McCallum H, Roche B, Ujvari B, Thomas F. The tumour is in the detail: Local phylogenetic, population and epidemiological dynamics of a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils. Evol Appl 2023; 16:1316-1327. [PMID: 37492149 PMCID: PMC10363845 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases are a major threat for biodiversity conservation and can exert strong influence on wildlife population dynamics. Understanding the mechanisms driving infection rates and epidemic outcomes requires empirical data on the evolutionary trajectory of pathogens and host selective processes. Phylodynamics is a robust framework to understand the interaction of pathogen evolutionary processes with epidemiological dynamics, providing a powerful tool to evaluate disease control strategies. Tasmanian devils have been threatened by a fatal transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), for more than two decades. Here we employ a phylodynamic approach using tumour mitochondrial genomes to assess the role of tumour genetic diversity in epidemiological and population dynamics in a devil population subject to 12 years of intensive monitoring, since the beginning of the epidemic outbreak. DFTD molecular clock estimates of disease introduction mirrored observed estimates in the field, and DFTD genetic diversity was positively correlated with estimates of devil population size. However, prevalence and force of infection were the lowest when devil population size and tumour genetic diversity was the highest. This could be due to either differential virulence or transmissibility in tumour lineages or the development of host defence strategies against infection. Our results support the view that evolutionary processes and epidemiological trade-offs can drive host-pathogen coexistence, even when disease-induced mortality is extremely high. We highlight the importance of integrating pathogen and population evolutionary interactions to better understand long-term epidemic dynamics and evaluating disease control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
- CANECEV, Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le CancerMontpellierFrance
| | | | - Fernando Arce
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Menna Jones
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Andrew Storfer
- School of Biological SciencesWashington State UniversityPullmanWashingtonUSA
| | - Paul A. Hohenlohe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary StudiesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIdahoUSA
| | - Hamish McCallum
- Centre for Planetary Health and Food SecurityGriffith University, Nathan CampusNathanQueenslandAustralia
| | - Benjamin Roche
- CREEC, MIVEGEC (CREES)University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpelierFrance
| | - Beata Ujvari
- CANECEV, Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le CancerMontpellierFrance
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityWaurn PondsVictoriaAustralia
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CANECEV, Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le CancerMontpellierFrance
- CREEC, MIVEGEC (CREES)University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpelierFrance
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7
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Stammnitz MR, Gori K, Kwon YM, Harry E, Martin FJ, Billis K, Cheng Y, Baez-Ortega A, Chow W, Comte S, Eggertsson H, Fox S, Hamede R, Jones M, Lazenby B, Peck S, Pye R, Quail MA, Swift K, Wang J, Wood J, Howe K, Stratton MR, Ning Z, Murchison EP. The evolution of two transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils. Science 2023; 380:283-293. [PMID: 37079675 DOI: 10.1126/science.abq6453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Tasmanian devils have spawned two transmissible cancer lineages, named devil facial tumor 1 (DFT1) and devil facial tumor 2 (DFT2). We investigated the genetic diversity and evolution of these clones by analyzing 78 DFT1 and 41 DFT2 genomes relative to a newly assembled, chromosome-level reference. Time-resolved phylogenetic trees reveal that DFT1 first emerged in 1986 (1982 to 1989) and DFT2 in 2011 (2009 to 2012). Subclone analysis documents transmission of heterogeneous cell populations. DFT2 has faster mutation rates than DFT1 across all variant classes, including substitutions, indels, rearrangements, transposable element insertions, and copy number alterations, and we identify a hypermutated DFT1 lineage with defective DNA mismatch repair. Several loci show plausible evidence of positive selection in DFT1 or DFT2, including loss of chromosome Y and inactivation of MGA, but none are common to both cancers. This study reveals the parallel long-term evolution of two transmissible cancers inhabiting a common niche in Tasmanian devils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian R Stammnitz
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kevin Gori
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Young Mi Kwon
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Edward Harry
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Fergal J Martin
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Konstantinos Billis
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yuanyuan Cheng
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adrian Baez-Ortega
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - William Chow
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sebastien Comte
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
- Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Samantha Fox
- Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Hobart, TAS, Australia
- Toledo Zoo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
- CANCEV, Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer, Montpellier, France
| | - Menna Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Billie Lazenby
- Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Sarah Peck
- Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Ruth Pye
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Michael A Quail
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kate Swift
- Mount Pleasant Laboratories, Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Prospect, TAS, Australia
| | - Jinhong Wang
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jonathan Wood
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kerstin Howe
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michael R Stratton
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Zemin Ning
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Elizabeth P Murchison
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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8
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Lewis AC, Hughes C, Rogers TL. Living in human-modified landscapes narrows the dietary niche of a specialised mammalian scavenger. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3582. [PMID: 36869089 PMCID: PMC9984462 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30490-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic impacts on carnivores can be complex, posing numerous threats to many species, yet also benefits to those able to exploit certain resources. This balancing act is particularly precarious for those adapters that exploit dietary resources provided by humans, but still require other resources only available in native habitat. Here we measure the dietary niche of one such species, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), a specialised mammalian scavenger, across an anthropogenic habitat gradient stretching from cleared pasture to undisturbed rainforest. Populations inhabiting areas of greater disturbance showed restricted dietary niches, suggesting that all individuals fed on similar food items, even within regenerated native forest. Populations in undisturbed rainforest habitats had comparatively broad diets and showed evidence of niche partitioning by body size, which may reduce intraspecific competition. Despite the potential benefits of reliable access to high-quality food items in anthropogenically-modified habitats, the constrained niches we observed may be harmful, indicating altered behaviours and potentially increasing the rate of fights between individuals over food. This is of particular concern for a species at risk of extinction due to a deadly cancer primarily transmitted through aggressive interactions. The lack of diversity in devil diets within regenerated native forest compared to those in old-growth rainforest also indicates the conservation value of the latter for both the devil and the species which they consume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna C Lewis
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- The Carnivore Conservancy, Ulverstone, TAS, Australia.
| | - Channing Hughes
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- The Carnivore Conservancy, Ulverstone, TAS, Australia
| | - Tracey L Rogers
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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9
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Kayigwe AN, M. Darby J, Lyons AB, L. Patchett A, Lisowski L, Liu GS, S. Flies A. A human adenovirus encoding IFN-γ can transduce Tasmanian devil facial tumour cells and upregulate MHC-I. J Gen Virol 2022; 103. [DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) has led to a massive decline in the wild Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) population. The disease is caused by two independent devil facial tumours (DFT1 and DFT2). These transmissible cancers have a mortality rate of nearly 100 %. An adenoviral vector-based vaccine has been proposed as a conservation strategy for the Tasmanian devil. This study aimed to determine if a human adenovirus serotype 5 could express functional transgenes in devil cells. As DFT1 cells do not constitutively express major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I), we developed a replication-deficient adenoviral vector that encodes devil interferon gamma (IFN-γ) fused to a fluorescent protein reporter. Our results show that adenoviral-expressed IFN-γ was able to stimulate upregulation of beta-2 microglobulin, a component of MHC-I, on DFT1, DFT2 and devil fibroblast cell lines. This work suggests that human adenoviruses can serve as a vaccine platform for devils and potentially other marsupials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahab N. Kayigwe
- Department of Science and Laboratory Technology, Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology, Bibititi and Morogoro Rd Junction, P. O. Box 2958, Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - Jocelyn M. Darby
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - A. Bruce Lyons
- Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - Amanda L. Patchett
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - Leszek Lisowski
- Military Institute of Medicine, Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Innovative Therapies, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland
- Translational Vectorology Research Unit, Children’s Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, Australia
| | - Guei-Sheung Liu
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
- Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia
- Centre for Eye Research Australia, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia
| | - Andrew S. Flies
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
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10
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Ní Leathlobhair M, Lenski RE. Population genetics of clonally transmissible cancers. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1077-1089. [PMID: 35879542 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01790-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Populations of cancer cells are subject to the same core evolutionary processes as asexually reproducing, unicellular organisms. Transmissible cancers are particularly striking examples of these processes. These unusual cancers are clonal lineages that can spread through populations via physical transfer of living cancer cells from one host individual to another, and they have achieved long-term success in the colonization of at least eight different host species. Population genetic theory provides a useful framework for understanding the shift from a multicellular sexual animal into a unicellular asexual clone and its long-term effects on the genomes of these cancers. In this Review, we consider recent findings from transmissible cancer research with the goals of developing an evolutionarily informed perspective on transmissible cancers, examining possible implications for their long-term fate and identifying areas for future research on these exceptional lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Máire Ní Leathlobhair
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Richard E Lenski
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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11
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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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12
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Durrant R, Hamede R, Wells K, Lurgi M. Disruption of Metapopulation Structure Reduces Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease Spread at the Expense of Abundance and Genetic Diversity. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10121592. [PMID: 34959547 PMCID: PMC8705368 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10121592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Metapopulation structure plays a fundamental role in the persistence of wildlife populations. It can also drive the spread of infectious diseases and transmissible cancers such as the Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). While disrupting this structure can reduce disease spread, it can also impair host resilience by disrupting gene flow and colonisation dynamics. Using an individual-based metapopulation model we investigated the synergistic effects of host dispersal, disease transmission rate and inter-individual contact distance for transmission, on the spread and persistence of DFTD from local to regional scales. Disease spread, and the ensuing population declines, are synergistically determined by individuals' dispersal, disease transmission rate and within-population mixing. Transmission rates can be magnified by high dispersal and inter-individual transmission distance. The isolation of local populations effectively reduced metapopulation-level disease prevalence but caused severe declines in metapopulation size and genetic diversity. The relative position of managed (i.e., isolated) local populations had a significant effect on disease prevalence, highlighting the importance of considering metapopulation structure when implementing metapopulation-scale disease control measures. Our findings suggest that population isolation is not an ideal management method for preventing disease spread in species inhabiting already fragmented landscapes, where genetic diversity and extinction risk are already a concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan Durrant
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK; (R.D.); (K.W.)
| | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia;
| | - Konstans Wells
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK; (R.D.); (K.W.)
| | - Miguel Lurgi
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK; (R.D.); (K.W.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +44-(0)-1792-602157
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13
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Espejo C, Wilson R, Willms E, Ruiz-Aravena M, Pye RJ, Jones ME, Hill AF, Woods GM, Lyons AB. Extracellular vesicle proteomes of two transmissible cancers of Tasmanian devils reveal tenascin-C as a serum-based differential diagnostic biomarker. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:7537-7555. [PMID: 34655299 PMCID: PMC11073120 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03955-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The iconic Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is endangered due to the transmissible cancer Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), of which there are two genetically independent subtypes (DFT1 and DFT2). While DFT1 and DFT2 can be differentially diagnosed using tumour biopsies, there is an urgent need to develop less-invasive biomarkers that can detect DFTD and distinguish between subtypes. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), the nano-sized membrane-enclosed vesicles present in most biofluids, represent a valuable resource for biomarker discovery. Here, we characterized the proteome of EVs from cultured DFTD cells using data-independent acquisition-mass spectrometry and an in-house spectral library of > 1500 proteins. EVs from both DFT1 and DFT2 cell lines expressed higher levels of proteins associated with focal adhesion functions. Furthermore, hallmark proteins of epithelial-mesenchymal transition were enriched in DFT2 EVs relative to DFT1 EVs. These findings were validated in EVs derived from serum samples, revealing that the mesenchymal marker tenascin-C was also enriched in EVs derived from the serum of devils infected with DFT2 relative to those infected with DFT1 and healthy controls. This first EV-based investigation of DFTD increases our understanding of the cancers' EVs and their possible involvement in DFTD progression, such as metastasis. Finally, we demonstrated the potential of EVs to differentiate between DFT1 and DFT2, highlighting their potential use as less-invasive liquid biopsies for the Tasmanian devil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Espejo
- Tasmanian School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia.
| | - Richard Wilson
- Central Science Laboratory, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7005, Australia
| | - Eduard Willms
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia
| | - Manuel Ruiz-Aravena
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | - Ruth J Pye
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - Menna E Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | - Andrew F Hill
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia
| | - Gregory M Woods
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - A Bruce Lyons
- Tasmanian School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
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14
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Owen RS, Ramarathinam SH, Bailey A, Gastaldello A, Hussey K, Skipp PJ, Purcell AW, Siddle HV. The differentiation state of the Schwann cell progenitor drives phenotypic variation between two contagious cancers. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1010033. [PMID: 34780568 PMCID: PMC8629380 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Contagious cancers are a rare pathogenic phenomenon in which cancer cells gain the ability to spread between genetically distinct hosts. Nine examples have been identified across marine bivalves, dogs and Tasmanian devils, but the Tasmanian devil is the only mammalian species known to have given rise to two distinct lineages of contagious cancer, termed Devil Facial Tumour 1 (DFT1) and 2 (DFT2). Remarkably, DFT1 and DFT2 arose independently from the same cell type, a Schwann cell, and while their ultra-structural features are highly similar they exhibit variation in their mutational signatures and infection dynamics. As such, DFT1 and DFT2 provide a unique framework for investigating how a common progenitor cell can give rise to distinct contagious cancers. Using a proteomics approach, we show that DFT1 and DFT2 are derived from Schwann cells in different differentiation states, with DFT2 carrying a molecular signature of a less well differentiated Schwann cell. Under inflammatory signals DFT1 and DFT2 have different gene expression profiles, most notably involving Schwann cell markers of differentiation, reflecting the influence of their distinct origins. Further, DFT2 cells express immune cell markers typically expressed during nerve repair, consistent with an ability to manipulate their extracellular environment, facilitating the cell’s ability to transmit between individuals. The emergence of two contagious cancers in the Tasmanian devil suggests that the inherent plasticity of Schwann cells confers a vulnerability to the formation of contagious cancers. Cancer can be an infectious pathogen, with nine known cases, infecting bivalves, dogs and two independent tumours circulating in the endangered Tasmanian devil. These cancers, known as Devil Facial Tumour 1 (DFT1) and Devil Facial Tumour 2 (DFT2), spread through the wild population much like parasites, moving between genetically distinct hosts during social biting behaviours and persisting in the population. As DFT1 and DFT2 are independent contagious cancers that arose from the same cell type, a Schwann cell, they provide a unique model system for studying the emergence of phenotypic variation in cancers derived from a single progenitor cell. In this study, we have shown that these two remarkably similar tumours have emerged from Schwann cells in different differentiation states. The differentiation state of the progenitor has altered the characteristics of each tumour, resulting in different responses to external signals. This work demonstrates that the cellular origin of infection can direct the phenotype of a contagious cancer and how it responds to signals from the host environment. Further, the plasticity of Schwann cells may make these cells more prone to forming contagious cancers, raising the possibility that further parasitic cancers could emerge from this cell type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel S. Owen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Sri H. Ramarathinam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Alistair Bailey
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Annalisa Gastaldello
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Kathryn Hussey
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Paul J. Skipp
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony W. Purcell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Hannah V. Siddle
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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15
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Bell O, Jones ME, Cunningham CX, Ruiz‐Aravena M, Hamilton DG, Comte S, Hamede RK, Bearhop S, McDonald RA. Isotopic niche variation in Tasmanian devils Sarcophilus harrisii with progression of devil facial tumor disease. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:8038-8053. [PMID: 34188870 PMCID: PMC8216929 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) is a transmissible cancer affecting Tasmanian devils Sarcophilus harrisii. The disease has caused severe population declines and is associated with demographic and behavioral changes, including earlier breeding, younger age structures, and reduced dispersal and social interactions. Devils are generally solitary, but social encounters are commonplace when feeding upon large carcasses. DFTD tumors can disfigure the jaw and mouth and so diseased individuals might alter their diets to enable ingestion of alternative foods, to avoid conspecific interactions, or to reduce competition. Using stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) of whiskers, we tested whether DFTD progression, measured as tumor volume, affected the isotope ratios and isotopic niches of 94 infected Tasmanian devils from six sites in Tasmania, comprising four eucalypt plantations, an area of smallholdings and a national park. Then, using tissue from 10 devils sampled before and after detection of tumors and 8 devils where no tumors were detected, we examined whether mean and standard deviation of δ13C and δ15N of the same individuals changed between healthy and diseased states. δ13C and δ15N values were generally not related to tumor volume in infected devils, though at one site, Freycinet National Park, δ15N values increased significantly as tumor volume increased. Infection with DFTD was not associated with significant changes in the mean or standard deviation of δ13C and δ15N values in individual devils sampled before and after detection of tumors. Our analysis suggests that devils tend to maintain their isotopic niche in the face of DFTD infection and progression, except where ecological conditions facilitate a shift in diets and feeding behaviors, demonstrating that ecological context, alongside disease severity, can modulate the behavioral responses of Tasmanian devils to DFTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Bell
- Environment and Sustainability InstituteUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | - Menna E. Jones
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | | | - Manuel Ruiz‐Aravena
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyMontana State UniversityBozemanMTUSA
| | - David G. Hamilton
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Sebastien Comte
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
- Vertebrate Pest Research UnitNSW Department of Primary IndustriesOrangeNSWAustralia
| | - Rodrigo K. Hamede
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
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16
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Stahlke AR, Epstein B, Barbosa S, Margres MJ, Patton AH, Hendricks SA, Veillet A, Fraik AK, Schönfeld B, McCallum HI, Hamede R, Jones ME, Storfer A, Hohenlohe PA. Contemporary and historical selection in Tasmanian devils ( Sarcophilus harrisii) support novel, polygenic response to transmissible cancer. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210577. [PMID: 34034517 PMCID: PMC8150010 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are evolving in response to a unique transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), first described in 1996. Persistence of wild populations and the recent emergence of a second independently evolved transmissible cancer suggest that transmissible cancers may be a recurrent feature in devils. Here, we compared signatures of selection across temporal scales to determine whether genes or gene pathways under contemporary selection (six to eight generations) have also been subject to historical selection (65-85 Myr). First, we used targeted sequencing, RAD-capture, in approximately 2500 devils in six populations to identify genomic regions subject to rapid evolution. We documented genome-wide contemporary evolution, including 186 candidate genes related to cell cycling and immune response. Then we used a molecular evolution approach to identify historical positive selection in devils compared to other marsupials and found evidence of selection in 1773 genes. However, we found limited overlap across time scales, with only 16 shared candidate genes, and no overlap in enriched functional gene sets. Our results are consistent with a novel, multi-locus evolutionary response of devils to DFTD. Our results can inform conservation by identifying high priority targets for genetic monitoring and guiding maintenance of adaptive potential in managed populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R. Stahlke
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST), University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Brendan Epstein
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Soraia Barbosa
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST), University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Mark J. Margres
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Austin H. Patton
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Sarah A. Hendricks
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST), University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Anne Veillet
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST), University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Alexandra K. Fraik
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Barbara Schönfeld
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7005, Australia
| | - Hamish I. McCallum
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7005, Australia
| | - Menna E. Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7005, Australia
| | - Andrew Storfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Paul A. Hohenlohe
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST), University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
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17
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Cunningham CX, Comte S, McCallum H, Hamilton DG, Hamede R, Storfer A, Hollings T, Ruiz-Aravena M, Kerlin DH, Brook BW, Hocking G, Jones ME. Quantifying 25 years of disease-caused declines in Tasmanian devil populations: host density drives spatial pathogen spread. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:958-969. [PMID: 33638597 PMCID: PMC9844790 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Infectious diseases are strong drivers of wildlife population dynamics, however, empirical analyses from the early stages of pathogen emergence are rare. Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), discovered in 1996, provides the opportunity to study an epizootic from its inception. We use a pattern-oriented diffusion simulation to model the spatial spread of DFTD across the species' range and quantify population effects by jointly modelling multiple streams of data spanning 35 years. We estimate the wild devil population peaked at 53 000 in 1996, less than half of previous estimates. DFTD spread rapidly through high-density areas, with spread velocity slowing in areas of low host densities. By 2020, DFTD occupied >90% of the species' range, causing 82% declines in local densities and reducing the total population to 16 900. Encouragingly, our model forecasts the population decline should level-off within the next decade, supporting conservation management focused on facilitating evolution of resistance and tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calum X. Cunningham
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia,Correspondence: ;
| | - Sebastien Comte
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia,Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, NSW Department of Primary Industries, 1447 Forest Road, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia
| | - Hamish McCallum
- Environmental Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld 4111, Australia
| | - David G. Hamilton
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
| | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia,CANECEV – Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le cancer (CREEC), Montpellier 34090, France
| | - Andrew Storfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
| | - Tracey Hollings
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, Vic. 3084, Australia,School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia
| | - Manuel Ruiz-Aravena
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Douglas H. Kerlin
- Environmental Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld 4111, Australia
| | - Barry W. Brook
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia,ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Greg Hocking
- Game Services Tasmania, Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, TAS, PO Box 44, Hobart 7001, Australia
| | - Manna E. Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
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18
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Capp JP, DeGregori J, Nedelcu AM, Dujon AM, Boutry J, Pujol P, Alix-Panabières C, Hamede R, Roche B, Ujvari B, Marusyk A, Gatenby R, Thomas F. Group phenotypic composition in cancer. eLife 2021; 10:63518. [PMID: 33784238 PMCID: PMC8009660 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although individual cancer cells are generally considered the Darwinian units of selection in malignant populations, they frequently act as members of groups where fitness of the group cannot be reduced to the average fitness of individual group members. A growing body of studies reveals limitations of reductionist approaches to explaining biological and clinical observations. For example, induction of angiogenesis, inhibition of the immune system, and niche engineering through environmental acidification and/or remodeling of extracellular matrix cannot be achieved by single tumor cells and require collective actions of groups of cells. Success or failure of such group activities depends on the phenotypic makeup of the individual group members. Conversely, these group activities affect the fitness of individual members of the group, ultimately affecting the composition of the group. This phenomenon, where phenotypic makeup of individual group members impacts the fitness of both members and groups, has been captured in the term 'group phenotypic composition' (GPC). We provide examples where considerations of GPC could help in understanding the evolution and clinical progression of cancers and argue that use of the GPC framework can facilitate new insights into cancer biology and assist with the development of new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Pascal Capp
- Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, University of Toulouse, INSA, CNRS, INRAE, Toulouse, France
| | - James DeGregori
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States
| | - Aurora M Nedelcu
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Antoine M Dujon
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France.,Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Justine Boutry
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Pascal Pujol
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Catherine Alix-Panabières
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France.,Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells (LCCRH), University Medical Centre of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Benjamin Roche
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Beata Ujvari
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.,School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Andriy Marusyk
- Department of Cancer Physiology, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, United States
| | - Robert Gatenby
- Department of Cancer Physiology, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, United States
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
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19
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Patchett AL, Tovar C, Blackburn NB, Woods GM, Lyons AB. Mesenchymal plasticity of devil facial tumour cells during in vivo vaccine and immunotherapy trials. Immunol Cell Biol 2021; 99:711-723. [PMID: 33667023 DOI: 10.1111/imcb.12451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Immune evasion is critical to the growth and survival of cancer cells. This is especially pertinent to transmissible cancers, which evade immune detection across genetically diverse hosts. The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is threatened by the emergence of Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), comprising two transmissible cancers (DFT1 and DFT2). The development of effective prophylactic vaccines and therapies against DFTD has been restricted by an incomplete understanding of how allogeneic DFT1 and DFT2 cells maintain immune evasion upon activation of tumour-specific immune responses. In this study, we used RNA sequencing to examine tumours from three experimental DFT1 cases. Two devils received a vaccine prior to inoculation with live DFT1 cells, providing an opportunity to explore changes to DFT1 cancers under immune pressure. Analysis of DFT1 in the non-immunised devil revealed a 'myelinating Schwann cell' phenotype, reflecting both natural DFT1 cancers and the DFT1 cell line used for the experimental challenge. Comparatively, immunised devils exhibited a 'dedifferentiated mesenchymal' DFT1 phenotype. A third 'immune-enriched' phenotype, characterised by increased PDL1 and CTLA-4 expression, was detected in a DFT1 tumour that arose after immunotherapy. In response to immune pressure, mesenchymal plasticity and upregulation of immune checkpoint molecules are used by human cancers to evade immune responses. Similar mechanisms are associated with immune evasion by DFTD cancers, providing novel insights that will inform modification of DFTD vaccines. As DFT1 and DFT2 are clonal cancers transmitted across genetically distinct hosts, the Tasmanian devil provides a 'natural' disease model for more broadly exploring these immune evasion mechanisms in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L Patchett
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Cesar Tovar
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.,School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Nicholas B Blackburn
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Gregory M Woods
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - A Bruce Lyons
- School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
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20
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Gastaldello A, Ramarathinam SH, Bailey A, Owen R, Turner S, Kontouli N, Elliott T, Skipp P, Purcell AW, Siddle HV. The immunopeptidomes of two transmissible cancers and their host have a common, dominant peptide motif. Immunology 2021; 163:169-184. [PMID: 33460454 PMCID: PMC8114214 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmissible cancers are malignant cells that can spread between individuals of a population, akin to both a parasite and a mobile graft. The survival of the Tasmanian devil, the largest remaining marsupial carnivore, is threatened by the remarkable emergence of two independent lineages of transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour (DFT) 1 and devil facial tumour 2 (DFT2). To aid the development of a vaccine and to interrogate how histocompatibility barriers can be overcome, we analysed the peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC‐I) molecules from Tasmanian devil cells and representative cell lines of each transmissible cancer. Here, we show that DFT1 + IFN‐γ and DFT2 cell lines express a restricted repertoire of MHC‐I allotypes compared with fibroblast cells, potentially reducing the breadth of peptide presentation. Comparison of the peptidomes from DFT1 + IFNγ, DFT2 and host fibroblast cells demonstrates a dominant motif, despite differences in MHC‐I allotypes between the cell lines, with preference for a hydrophobic leucine residue at position 3 and position Ω of peptides. DFT1 and DFT2 both present peptides derived from neural proteins, which reflects a shared cellular origin that could be exploited for vaccine design. These results suggest that polymorphisms in MHC‐I molecules between tumours and host can be ‘hidden’ by a common peptide motif, providing the potential for permissive passage of infectious cells and demonstrating complexity in mammalian histocompatibility barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sri H Ramarathinam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alistair Bailey
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.,Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Rachel Owen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Steven Turner
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - N Kontouli
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Tim Elliott
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.,Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Paul Skipp
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.,Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Anthony W Purcell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hannah V Siddle
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.,Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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21
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Kwon YM, Gori K, Park N, Potts N, Swift K, Wang J, Stammnitz MR, Cannell N, Baez-Ortega A, Comte S, Fox S, Harmsen C, Huxtable S, Jones M, Kreiss A, Lawrence C, Lazenby B, Peck S, Pye R, Woods G, Zimmermann M, Wedge DC, Pemberton D, Stratton MR, Hamede R, Murchison EP. Evolution and lineage dynamics of a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000926. [PMID: 33232318 PMCID: PMC7685465 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Devil facial tumour 1 (DFT1) is a transmissible cancer clone endangering the Tasmanian devil. The expansion of DFT1 across Tasmania has been documented, but little is known of its evolutionary history. We analysed genomes of 648 DFT1 tumours collected throughout the disease range between 2003 and 2018. DFT1 diverged early into five clades, three spreading widely and two failing to persist. One clade has replaced others at several sites, and rates of DFT1 coinfection are high. DFT1 gradually accumulates copy number variants (CNVs), and its telomere lengths are short but constant. Recurrent CNVs reveal genes under positive selection, sites of genome instability, and repeated loss of a small derived chromosome. Cultured DFT1 cell lines have increased CNV frequency and undergo highly reproducible convergent evolution. Overall, DFT1 is a remarkably stable lineage whose genome illustrates how cancer cells adapt to diverse environments and persist in a parasitic niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Mi Kwon
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin Gori
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Naomi Park
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Nicole Potts
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Kate Swift
- Mount Pleasant Laboratories, Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment (DPIPWE), Prospect, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Jinhong Wang
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Maximilian R. Stammnitz
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Naomi Cannell
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian Baez-Ortega
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastien Comte
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Samantha Fox
- Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment (DPIPWE), Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Toledo Zoo, Toledo, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Colette Harmsen
- Mount Pleasant Laboratories, Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment (DPIPWE), Prospect, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Stewart Huxtable
- Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment (DPIPWE), Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Menna Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Alexandre Kreiss
- Menzies Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Clare Lawrence
- Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment (DPIPWE), Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Billie Lazenby
- Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment (DPIPWE), Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Sarah Peck
- Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment (DPIPWE), Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Ruth Pye
- Menzies Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Gregory Woods
- Menzies Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Mona Zimmermann
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - David C. Wedge
- Oxford Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - David Pemberton
- Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment (DPIPWE), Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | | | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- CANECEV, Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer, Montpellier, France
| | - Elizabeth P. Murchison
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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22
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Kozakiewicz CP, Ricci L, Patton AH, Stahlke AR, Hendricks SA, Margres MJ, Ruiz-Aravena M, Hamilton DG, Hamede R, McCallum H, Jones ME, Hohenlohe PA, Storfer A. Comparative landscape genetics reveals differential effects of environment on host and pathogen genetic structure in Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) and their transmissible tumour. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:3217-3233. [PMID: 32682353 PMCID: PMC9805799 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Genetic structure in host species is often used to predict disease spread. However, host and pathogen genetic variation may be incongruent. Understanding landscape factors that have either concordant or divergent influence on host and pathogen genetic structure is crucial for wildlife disease management. Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) was first observed in 1996 and has spread throughout almost the entire Tasmanian devil geographic range, causing dramatic population declines. Whereas DFTD is predominantly spread via biting among adults, devils typically disperse as juveniles, which experience low DFTD prevalence. Thus, we predicted little association between devil and tumour population structure and that environmental factors influencing gene flow differ between devils and tumours. We employed a comparative landscape genetics framework to test the influence of environmental factors on patterns of isolation by resistance (IBR) and isolation by environment (IBE) in devils and DFTD. Although we found evidence for broad-scale costructuring between devils and tumours, we found no relationship between host and tumour individual genetic distances. Further, the factors driving the spatial distribution of genetic variation differed for each. Devils exhibited a strong IBR pattern driven by major roads, with no evidence of IBE. By contrast, tumours showed little evidence for IBR and a weak IBE pattern with respect to elevation in one of two tumour clusters we identify herein. Our results warrant caution when inferring pathogen spread using host population genetic structure and suggest that reliance on environmental barriers to host connectivity may be ineffective for managing the spread of wildlife diseases. Our findings demonstrate the utility of comparative landscape genetics for identifying differential factors driving host dispersal and pathogen transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren Ricci
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Austin H. Patton
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA,Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Amanda R. Stahlke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Sarah A. Hendricks
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Mark J. Margres
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Manuel Ruiz-Aravena
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia,Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - David G. Hamilton
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Hamish McCallum
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Menna E. Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Paul A. Hohenlohe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Andrew Storfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA,corresponding author: Andrew Storfer, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
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23
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Hamede R, Owen R, Siddle H, Peck S, Jones M, Dujon AM, Giraudeau M, Roche B, Ujvari B, Thomas F. The ecology and evolution of wildlife cancers: Applications for management and conservation. Evol Appl 2020; 13:1719-1732. [PMID: 32821279 PMCID: PMC7428810 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 02/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecological and evolutionary concepts have been widely adopted to understand host-pathogen dynamics, and more recently, integrated into wildlife disease management. Cancer is a ubiquitous disease that affects most metazoan species; however, the role of oncogenic phenomena in eco-evolutionary processes and its implications for wildlife management and conservation remains undeveloped. Despite the pervasive nature of cancer across taxa, our ability to detect its occurrence, progression and prevalence in wildlife populations is constrained due to logistic and diagnostic limitations, which suggests that most cancers in the wild are unreported and understudied. Nevertheless, an increasing number of virus-associated and directly transmissible cancers in terrestrial and aquatic environments have been detected. Furthermore, anthropogenic activities and sudden environmental changes are increasingly associated with cancer incidence in wildlife. This highlights the need to upscale surveillance efforts, collection of critical data and developing novel approaches for studying the emergence and evolution of cancers in the wild. Here, we discuss the relevance of malignant cells as important agents of selection and offer a holistic framework to understand the interplay of ecological, epidemiological and evolutionary dynamics of cancer in wildlife. We use a directly transmissible cancer (devil facial tumour disease) as a model system to reveal the potential evolutionary dynamics and broader ecological effects of cancer epidemics in wildlife. We provide further examples of tumour-host interactions and trade-offs that may lead to changes in life histories, and epidemiological and population dynamics. Within this framework, we explore immunological strategies at the individual level as well as transgenerational adaptations at the population level. Then, we highlight the need to integrate multiple disciplines to undertake comparative cancer research at the human-domestic-wildlife interface and their environments. Finally, we suggest strategies for screening cancer incidence in wildlife and discuss how to integrate ecological and evolutionary concepts in the management of current and future cancer epizootics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTas.Australia
- Centre for Integrative EcologySchool of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityVic.Australia
| | - Rachel Owen
- Centre for Biological SciencesUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
| | - Hannah Siddle
- Centre for Biological SciencesUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
| | - Sarah Peck
- Wildlife Veterinarian, Veterinary Register of TasmaniaSouth HobartTas.Australia
| | - Menna Jones
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTas.Australia
| | - Antoine M. Dujon
- Centre for Integrative EcologySchool of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityVic.Australia
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer/Centre de Recherches en Ecologie et Evolution de la SantéUnité Mixte de RecherchesInstitut de Recherches pour le Développement 224‐Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 5290‐Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Benjamin Roche
- Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer/Centre de Recherches en Ecologie et Evolution de la SantéUnité Mixte de RecherchesInstitut de Recherches pour le Développement 224‐Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 5290‐Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Beata Ujvari
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTas.Australia
- Centre for Integrative EcologySchool of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityVic.Australia
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer/Centre de Recherches en Ecologie et Evolution de la SantéUnité Mixte de RecherchesInstitut de Recherches pour le Développement 224‐Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 5290‐Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
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24
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Dujon AM, Gatenby RA, Bramwell G, MacDonald N, Dohrmann E, Raven N, Schultz A, Hamede R, Gérard AL, Giraudeau M, Thomas F, Ujvari B. Transmissible Cancers in an Evolutionary Perspective. iScience 2020; 23:101269. [PMID: 32592998 PMCID: PMC7327844 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Inter-individual transmission of cancer cells represents an intriguing and unexplored host-pathogen system, with significant ecological and evolutionary ramifications. The pathogen consists of clonal malignant cell lines that spread horizontally as allografts and/or xenografts. Although only nine transmissible cancer lineages in eight host species from both terrestrial and marine environments have been investigated, they exhibit evolutionary dynamics that may provide novel insights into tumor-host interactions particularly in the formation of metastases. Here we present an overview of known transmissible cancers, discuss the necessary and sufficient conditions for cancer transmission, and provide a comprehensive review on the evolutionary dynamics between transmissible cancers and their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine M Dujon
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
| | - Robert A Gatenby
- Department of Radiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Georgina Bramwell
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
| | - Nick MacDonald
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
| | - Erin Dohrmann
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
| | - Nynke Raven
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
| | - Aaron Schultz
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
| | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
| | - Anne-Lise Gérard
- CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Beata Ujvari
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia; School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia.
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25
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Patchett AL, Flies AS, Lyons AB, Woods GM. Curse of the devil: molecular insights into the emergence of transmissible cancers in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii). Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:2507-2525. [PMID: 31900624 PMCID: PMC11104928 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03435-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is the only mammalian species known to be affected by multiple transmissible cancers. Devil facial tumours 1 and 2 (DFT1 and DFT2) are independent neoplastic cell lineages that produce large, disfiguring cancers known as devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). The long-term persistence of wild Tasmanian devils is threatened due to the ability of DFTD cells to propagate as contagious allografts and the high mortality rate of DFTD. Recent studies have demonstrated that both DFT1 and DFT2 cancers originated from founder cells of the Schwann cell lineage, an uncommon origin of malignant cancer in humans. This unprecedented finding has revealed a potential predisposition of Tasmanian devils to transmissible cancers of the Schwann cell lineage. In this review, we compare the molecular nature of human Schwann cells and nerve sheath tumours with DFT1 and DFT2 to gain insights into the emergence of transmissible cancers in the Tasmanian devil. We discuss a potential mechanism, whereby Schwann cell plasticity and frequent wounding in Tasmanian devils combine with an inherent cancer predisposition and low genetic diversity to give rise to transmissible Schwann cell cancers in devils on rare occasions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L Patchett
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - Andrew S Flies
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - A Bruce Lyons
- School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - Gregory M Woods
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia.
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26
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Flies AS, Darby JM, Lennard PR, Murphy PR, Ong CEB, Pinfold TL, De Luca A, Lyons AB, Woods GM, Patchett AL. A novel system to map protein interactions reveals evolutionarily conserved immune evasion pathways on transmissible cancers. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/27/eaba5031. [PMID: 32937435 PMCID: PMC7458443 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba5031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Around 40% of humans and Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) develop cancer in their lifetime, compared to less than 10% for most species. In addition, devils are affected by two of the three known transmissible cancers in mammals. Immune checkpoint immunotherapy has transformed human medicine, but a lack of species-specific reagents has limited checkpoint immunology in most species. We developed a cut-and-paste reagent development system and used the fluorescent fusion protein system to show that immune checkpoint interactions are conserved across 160,000,000 years of evolution, CD200 is highly expressed on transmissible tumor cells, and coexpression of CD200R1 can block CD200 surface expression. The system's versatility across species was demonstrated by fusing a fluorescent reporter to a camelid-derived nanobody that binds human programmed death ligand 1. The evolutionarily conserved pathways suggest that naturally occurring cancers in devils and other species can be used to advance our understanding of cancer and immunological tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Flies
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia.
| | - Jocelyn M Darby
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
| | - Patrick R Lennard
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
- The Roslin Institute and Royal School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Peter R Murphy
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
- University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia
| | - Chrissie E B Ong
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
| | - Terry L Pinfold
- School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
| | - Alana De Luca
- School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
| | - A Bruce Lyons
- School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
| | - Gregory M Woods
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
| | - Amanda L Patchett
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
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27
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Comparative Cytogenetic Mapping and Telomere Analysis Provide Evolutionary Predictions for Devil Facial Tumour 2. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11050480. [PMID: 32354058 PMCID: PMC7290341 DOI: 10.3390/genes11050480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of a second transmissible tumour in the Tasmanian devil population, devil facial tumour 2 (DFT2), has prompted questions on the origin and evolution of these transmissible tumours. We used a combination of cytogenetic mapping and telomere length measurements to predict the evolutionary trajectory of chromosome rearrangements in DFT2. Gene mapping by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) provided insight into the chromosome rearrangements in DFT2 and identified the evolution of two distinct DFT2 lineages. A comparison of devil facial tumour 1 (DFT1) and DFT2 chromosome rearrangements indicated that both started with the fusion of a chromosome, with potentially critically short telomeres, to chromosome 1 to form dicentric chromosomes. In DFT1, the dicentric chromosome resulted in breakage–fusion–bridge cycles leading to highly rearranged chromosomes. In contrast, the silencing of a centromere on the dicentric chromosome in DFT2 stabilized the chromosome, resulting in a less rearranged karyotype than DFT1. DFT2 retains a bimodal distribution of telomere length dimorphism observed on Tasmanian devil chromosomes, a feature lost in DFT1. Using long term cell culture, we observed homogenization of telomere length over time. We predict a similar homogenization of telomere lengths occurred in DFT1, and that DFT2 is unlikely to undergo further substantial rearrangements due to maintained telomere length.
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28
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Flies AS, Flies EJ, Fox S, Gilbert A, Johnson SR, Liu GS, Lyons AB, Patchett AL, Pemberton D, Pye RJ. An oral bait vaccination approach for the Tasmanian devil facial tumor diseases. Expert Rev Vaccines 2020; 19:1-10. [PMID: 31971036 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2020.1711058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is the largest extant carnivorous marsupial. Since 1996, its population has declined by 77% primarily due to a clonal transmissible tumor, known as devil facial tumor (DFT1) disease. In 2014, a second transmissible devil facial tumor (DFT2) was discovered. DFT1 and DFT2 are nearly 100% fatal.Areas covered: We review DFT control approaches and propose a rabies-style oral bait vaccine (OBV) platform for DFTs. This approach has an extensive safety record and was a primary tool in large-scale rabies virus elimination from wild carnivores across diverse landscapes. Like rabies virus, DFTs are transmitted by oral contact, so immunizing the oral cavity and stimulating resident memory cells could be advantageous. Additionally, exposing infected devils that already have tumors to OBVs could serve as an oncolytic virus immunotherapy. The primary challenges may be identifying appropriate DFT-specific antigens and optimization of field delivery methods.Expert opinion: DFT2 is currently found on a peninsula in southern Tasmania, so an OBV that could eliminate DFT2 should be the priority for this vaccine approach. Translation of an OBV approach to control DFTs will be challenging, but the approach is feasible for combatting ongoing and future disease threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Flies
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Emily J Flies
- School of Natural Sciences, College of Sciences and Engineering, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Australia
| | - Samantha Fox
- Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, DPIPWE, Hobart, Australia.,Toledo Zoo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Amy Gilbert
- National Wildlife Research Center, USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Shylo R Johnson
- National Wildlife Research Center, USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Guei-Sheung Liu
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.,Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, East Melbourne, Australia
| | - A Bruce Lyons
- School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Amanda L Patchett
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | | | - Ruth J Pye
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
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