1
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Skazina M, Ponomartsev N, Maiorova M, Khaitov V, Marchenko J, Lentsman N, Odintsova N, Strelkov P. Genetic features of bivalve transmissible neoplasia in blue mussels from the Kola Bay (Barents Sea) suggest a recent trans-Arctic migration of the cancer lineages. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5724-5741. [PMID: 37795906 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17157] [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: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Ecology and biogeography of bivalve transmissible neoplasia (BTN) are underexplored due to its recent discovery and a challenging diagnostics. Blue mussels harbour two evolutionary lineages of BTN, MtrBTN1 and MtrBTN2, both derived from Mytilus trossulus. MtrBTN1 has been found only in M. trossulus from North Pacific. MtrBTN2 parasitizes different Mytilus spp. worldwide. BTN in M. trossulus in the Atlantic sector has never been studied. We looked for BTN in mussels from the Barents Sea using flow cytometry of cells, qPCR with primers specific to cancer-associated alleles and sequencing of mtDNA and nuclear loci. Both MtrBTN1 and MtrBTN2 were present in our material, though their prevalence was low (~0.4%). All cancers parasitized M. trossulus except one, MtrBTN1, which was found in a hybrid between M. trossulus and M. edulis. The mtDNA haplotypes found in both lineages were nearly identical to those known from the Northwest Pacific but not from elsewhere. Our results suggest that these two lineages may have arrived in the Barents Sea in recent decades with the maritime transport along the Northern Sea Route. A young evolutionary age of MtrBTN1 seems to indicate that it is an emerging disease in the process of niche expansion. Comparing the new and the published sequence data on tumour suppressor p53, we proved that the prevalence of BTN in mussels can reach epizootic levels. The finding of diverse recombinants between paternally and maternally inherited mtDNAs in somatic tissues of M. trossulus was an unexpected result of our study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Skazina
- St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | | | - Mariia Maiorova
- National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Vadim Khaitov
- St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
- Kandalaksha State Nature Reserve, Kandalaksha, Russia
| | | | | | - Nelly Odintsova
- National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Petr Strelkov
- St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
- Laboratory of Monitoring and Conservation of Natural Arctic Ecosystems, Murmansk Arctic State University, Murmansk, Russia
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2
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Bruzos AL, Santamarina M, García-Souto D, Díaz S, Rocha S, Zamora J, Lee Y, Viña-Feás A, Quail MA, Otero I, Pequeño-Valtierra A, Temes J, Rodriguez-Castro J, Aramburu L, Vidal-Capón A, Villanueva A, Costas D, Rodríguez R, Prieto T, Tomás L, Alvariño P, Alonso J, Cao A, Iglesias D, Carballal MJ, Amaral AM, Balseiro P, Calado R, El Khalfi B, Izagirre U, de Montaudouin X, Pade NG, Probert I, Ricardo F, Ruiz P, Skazina M, Smolarz K, Pasantes JJ, Villalba A, Ning Z, Ju YS, Posada D, Demeulemeester J, Baez-Ortega A, Tubio JMC. Somatic evolution of marine transmissible leukemias in the common cockle, Cerastoderma edule. NATURE CANCER 2023; 4:1575-1591. [PMID: 37783803 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-023-00641-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Transmissible cancers are malignant cell lineages that spread clonally between individuals. Several such cancers, termed bivalve transmissible neoplasia (BTN), induce leukemia-like disease in marine bivalves. This is the case of BTN lineages affecting the common cockle, Cerastoderma edule, which inhabits the Atlantic coasts of Europe and northwest Africa. To investigate the evolution of cockle BTN, we collected 6,854 cockles, diagnosed 390 BTN tumors, generated a reference genome and assessed genomic variation across 61 tumors. Our analyses confirmed the existence of two BTN lineages with hemocytic origins. Mitochondrial variation revealed mitochondrial capture and host co-infection events. Mutational analyses identified lineage-specific signatures, one of which likely reflects DNA alkylation. Cytogenetic and copy number analyses uncovered pervasive genomic instability, with whole-genome duplication, oncogene amplification and alkylation-repair suppression as likely drivers. Satellite DNA distributions suggested ancient clonal origins. Our study illuminates long-term cancer evolution under the sea and reveals tolerance of extreme instability in neoplastic genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia L Bruzos
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Department of Zoology, Genetics and Physical Anthropology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Martín Santamarina
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Department of Zoology, Genetics and Physical Anthropology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Daniel García-Souto
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Department of Zoology, Genetics and Physical Anthropology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Seila Díaz
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- ECOMARE, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sara Rocha
- CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Jorge Zamora
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Yunah Lee
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Alejandro Viña-Feás
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | | | - Iago Otero
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Department of Zoology, Genetics and Physical Anthropology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Ana Pequeño-Valtierra
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Javier Temes
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Jorge Rodriguez-Castro
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Leyre Aramburu
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - André Vidal-Capón
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Antonio Villanueva
- Centro de Investigación Mariña (CIM-ECIMAT), Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Damián Costas
- Centro de Investigación Mariña (CIM-ECIMAT), Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Rosana Rodríguez
- Centro de Investigación Mariña (CIM-ECIMAT), Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Tamara Prieto
- CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
- Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Laura Tomás
- CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
- Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain
| | - Pilar Alvariño
- CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
- Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain
| | - Juana Alonso
- CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
- Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain
| | - Asunción Cao
- Centro de Investigacións Mariñas (CIMA), Consellería do Mar, Xunta de Galicia, Vilanova de Arousa, Spain
| | - David Iglesias
- Centro de Investigacións Mariñas (CIMA), Consellería do Mar, Xunta de Galicia, Vilanova de Arousa, Spain
| | - María J Carballal
- Centro de Investigacións Mariñas (CIMA), Consellería do Mar, Xunta de Galicia, Vilanova de Arousa, Spain
| | - Ana M Amaral
- Centro de Ciencias do Mar do Algarve (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Pablo Balseiro
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- NORCE AS, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ricardo Calado
- ECOMARE, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Bouchra El Khalfi
- Laboratory of Physiopathology, Molecular Genetics & Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences Ain Chock, Health and Biotechnology Research Centre, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Urtzi Izagirre
- Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE-UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plenzia-Bitzkaia, Spain
- Cell Biology in Environmental Toxicology Research Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa-Bizkaia, Spain
| | | | - Nicolas G Pade
- European Marine Biology Resources Centre (EMBRC-ERIC), Paris, France
| | - Ian Probert
- FR2424 Station Biologique de Roscoff, Sorbonne University/CNRS, Roscoff, France
| | - Fernando Ricardo
- ECOMARE, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Pamela Ruiz
- Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE-UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plenzia-Bitzkaia, Spain
- Cell Biology in Environmental Toxicology Research Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa-Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Maria Skazina
- Department of Applied Ecology, St Petersburg State University, St Petersburg, Russia
| | - Katarzyna Smolarz
- Department of Marine Ecosystem Functioning, University of Gdańsk, Gdynia, Poland
| | - Juan J Pasantes
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Mariña (CIM-ECIMAT), Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Antonio Villalba
- Centro de Investigacións Mariñas (CIMA), Consellería do Mar, Xunta de Galicia, Vilanova de Arousa, Spain
- Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE-UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plenzia-Bitzkaia, Spain
- Department of Life Sciences, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | | | - Young Seok Ju
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - David Posada
- CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
- Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain
| | - Jonas Demeulemeester
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Adrian Baez-Ortega
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK.
- Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Jose M C Tubio
- Genomes and Disease, Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
- Department of Zoology, Genetics and Physical Anthropology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
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3
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Patten MM, Schenkel MA, Ågren JA. Adaptation in the face of internal conflict: the paradox of the organism revisited. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1796-1811. [PMID: 37203364 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The paradox of the organism refers to the observation that organisms appear to function as coherent purposeful entities, despite the potential for within-organismal components like selfish genetic elements and cancer cells to erode them from within. While it is commonly accepted that organisms may pursue fitness maximisation and can be thought to hold particular agendas, there is a growing recognition that genes and cells do so as well. This can lead to evolutionary conflicts between an organism and the parts that reside within it. Here, we revisit the paradox of the organism. We first outline its conception and relationship to debates about adaptation in evolutionary biology. Second, we review the ways selfish elements may exploit organisms, and the extent to which this threatens organismal integrity. To this end, we introduce a novel classification scheme that distinguishes between selfish elements that seek to distort transmission versus those that seek to distort phenotypic traits. Our classification scheme also highlights how some selfish elements elude a multi-level selection decomposition using the Price equation. Third, we discuss how the organism can retain its status as the primary fitness-maximising agent in the face of selfish elements. The success of selfish elements is often constrained by their strategy and further limited by a combination of fitness alignment and enforcement mechanisms controlled by the organism. Finally, we argue for the need for quantitative measures of both internal conflicts and organismality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manus M Patten
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, 37th and O St. NW, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
| | - Martijn A Schenkel
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, 37th and O St. NW, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
- Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - J Arvid Ågren
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala, 752 36, Sweden
- Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
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4
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Miller B, Sturmer L, Roberts J. Disseminated neoplasia in cultured hard clams ( Mercenaria mercenaria). Vet Pathol 2023; 60:624-627. [PMID: 37161998 DOI: 10.1177/03009858231171665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Marine bivalves are commonly affected by disseminated neoplasia of presumed hemocytic origin (i.e., hemic neoplasia and hemocytic neoplasia). Histopathology of 520 cultured hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) from Florida was performed for health surveillance over a consecutive 13-month period. Disseminated neoplasia was identified in 9 of 520 animals (1.7%). The neoplasia was characterized by the presence of large, round to oval, anaplastic cells within hemolymphatic vessels and sinusoids with variable infiltration into adjacent connective tissues of the visceral mass, mantle, foot, and/or adductor muscles. Frequent involvement and/or infiltration of the gill was also identified (5/9). Disseminated neoplasia in other species of clams, mussels, and cockles is considered a transmissible disease. At this time, it is unknown if these hard clams represent de novo development of the disease or potential transmission; however, this report expands both the geographic and host range for this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryce Miller
- University of Georgia, Athens, GA
- University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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5
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Trivedi DD, Dalai SK, Bakshi SR. The Mystery of Cancer Resistance: A Revelation Within Nature. J Mol Evol 2023; 91:133-155. [PMID: 36693985 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-023-10092-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Cancer, a disease due to uncontrolled cell proliferation is as ancient as multicellular organisms. A 255-million-years-old fossilized forerunner mammal gorgonopsian is probably the oldest evidence of cancer, to date. Cancer seems to have evolved by adapting to the microenvironment occupied by immune sentinel, modulating the cellular behavior from cytotoxic to regulatory, acquiring resistance to chemotherapy and surviving hypoxia. The interaction of genes with environmental carcinogens is central to cancer onset, seen as a spectrum of cancer susceptibility among human population. Cancer occurs in life forms other than human also, although their exposure to environmental carcinogens can be different. Role of genetic etiology in cancer in multiple species can be interesting with regard to not only cancer susceptibility, but also genetic conservation and adaptation in speciation. The widely used model organisms for cancer research are mouse and rat which are short-lived and reproduce rapidly. Research in these cancer prone animal models has been valuable as these have led to cancer therapy. However, another rewarding area of cancer research can be the cancer-resistant animal species. The Peto's paradox and G-value paradox are evident when natural cancer resistance is observed in large mammals, like elephant and whale, small rodents viz. Naked Mole Rat and Blind Mole Rat, and Bat. The cancer resistance remains to be explored in other small or large and long-living animals like giraffe, camel, rhinoceros, water buffalo, Indian bison, Shire horse, polar bear, manatee, elephant seal, walrus, hippopotamus, turtle and tortoise, sloth, and squirrel. Indeed, understanding the molecular mechanisms of avoiding neoplastic transformation across various life forms can be potentially having translational value for human cancer management. Adapted and Modified from (Hanahan and Weinberg 2011).
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6
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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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7
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Dujon AM, Boutry J, Tissot S, Meliani J, Guimard L, Rieu O, Ujvari B, Thomas F. A review of the methods used to induce cancer in invertebrates to study its effects on the evolution of species and ecosystem functioning. Methods Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antoine M. Dujon
- Deakin University Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology Waurn Ponds Victoria Australia
- CANECEV‐Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC) Montpellier France
- CREEC, MIVEGEC UMR IRD 224‐CNRS 5290‐Université de Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Justine Boutry
- CANECEV‐Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC) Montpellier France
- CREEC, MIVEGEC UMR IRD 224‐CNRS 5290‐Université de Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Sophie Tissot
- CANECEV‐Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC) Montpellier France
- CREEC, MIVEGEC UMR IRD 224‐CNRS 5290‐Université de Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Jordan Meliani
- CANECEV‐Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC) Montpellier France
- CREEC, MIVEGEC UMR IRD 224‐CNRS 5290‐Université de Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Lena Guimard
- CANECEV‐Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC) Montpellier France
- CREEC, MIVEGEC UMR IRD 224‐CNRS 5290‐Université de Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Océane Rieu
- CANECEV‐Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC) Montpellier France
- CREEC, MIVEGEC 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 Victoria Australia
- CANECEV‐Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC) Montpellier France
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CANECEV‐Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC) Montpellier France
- CREEC, MIVEGEC UMR IRD 224‐CNRS 5290‐Université de Montpellier Montpellier France
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8
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Michnowska A, Hart SFM, Smolarz K, Hallmann A, Metzger MJ. Horizontal transmission of disseminated neoplasia in the widespread clam
Macoma balthica
from the Southern Baltic Sea. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:3128-3136. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.16464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alicja Michnowska
- Department of Marine Ecosystems Functioning Institute of Oceanography Faculty of Oceanography and Geography University of Gdańsk Piłsudskiego 46 81‐378 Gdynia
| | - Samuel F. M. Hart
- Pacific Northwest Research Institute 720 Broadway Seattle WA 98122 USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program University of Washington 1959 NE Pacific Street, HSB T‐466 Seattle WA 98195 USA
| | - Katarzyna Smolarz
- Department of Marine Ecosystems Functioning Institute of Oceanography Faculty of Oceanography and Geography University of Gdańsk Piłsudskiego 46 81‐378 Gdynia
| | - Anna Hallmann
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biochemistry Medical University of Gdańsk Dębinki 1 80‐211 Gdańsk
| | - Michael J. Metzger
- Pacific Northwest Research Institute 720 Broadway Seattle WA 98122 USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program University of Washington 1959 NE Pacific Street, HSB T‐466 Seattle WA 98195 USA
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9
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Raven N, Klaassen M, Madsen T, Thomas F, Hamede R, Ujvari B. Transmissible cancer influences immune gene expression in an endangered marsupial, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii). Mol Ecol 2022; 31:2293-2311. [PMID: 35202488 PMCID: PMC9310804 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the effects of wildlife diseases on populations requires insight into local environmental conditions, host defence mechanisms, host life‐history trade‐offs, pathogen population dynamics, and their interactions. The survival of Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) is challenged by a novel, fitness limiting pathogen, Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), a clonally transmissible, contagious cancer. In order to understand the devils’ capacity to respond to DFTD, it is crucial to gain information on factors influencing the devils’ immune system. By using RT‐qPCR, we investigated how DFTD infection in association with intrinsic (sex and age) and environmental (season) factors influences the expression of 10 immune genes in Tasmanian devil blood. Our study showed that the expression of immune genes (both innate and adaptive) differed across seasons, a pattern that was altered when infected with DFTD. The expression of immunogbulins IgE and IgM:IgG showed downregulation in colder months in DFTD infected animals. We also observed strong positive association between the expression of an innate immune gene, CD16, and DFTD infection. Our results demonstrate that sampling across seasons, age groups and environmental conditions are beneficial when deciphering the complex ecoevolutionary interactions of not only conventional host‐parasite systems, but also of host and diseases with high mortality rates, such as transmissible cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Raven
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic, 3216, Australia
| | - M Klaassen
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic, 3216, Australia
| | - T Madsen
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic, 3216, Australia
| | - F Thomas
- CREEC/CANECEV (CREES), Montpellier, France.,MIVEGEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - R Hamede
- 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, Tasmania, 7001, Australia
| | - B Ujvari
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic, 3216, Australia
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10
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Giersch RM, Hart SFM, Reddy SG, Yonemitsu MA, Orellana Rosales MJ, Korn M, Geleta BM, Countway PD, Fernández Robledo JA, Metzger MJ. Survival and Detection of Bivalve Transmissible Neoplasia from the Soft-Shell Clam Mya arenaria (MarBTN) in Seawater. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11030283. [PMID: 35335607 PMCID: PMC8955499 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11030283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Many pathogens can cause cancer, but cancer itself does not normally act as an infectious agent. However, transmissible cancers have been found in a few cases in nature: in Tasmanian devils, dogs, and several bivalve species. The transmissible cancers in dogs and devils are known to spread through direct physical contact, but the exact route of transmission of bivalve transmissible neoplasia (BTN) has not yet been confirmed. It has been hypothesized that cancer cells from bivalves could be released by diseased animals and spread through the water column to infect/engraft into other animals. To test the feasibility of this proposed mechanism of transmission, we tested the ability of BTN cells from the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria BTN, or MarBTN) to survive in artificial seawater. We found that MarBTN cells are highly sensitive to salinity, with acute toxicity at salinity levels lower than those found in the native marine environment. BTN cells also survive longer at lower temperatures, with 50% of cells surviving greater than 12 days in seawater at 10 °C, and more than 19 days at 4 °C. With one clam donor, living cells were observed for more than eight weeks at 4 °C. We also used qPCR of environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect the presence of MarBTN-specific DNA in the environment. We observed release of MarBTN-specific DNA into the water of laboratory aquaria containing highly MarBTN-diseased clams, and we detected MarBTN-specific DNA in seawater samples collected from MarBTN-endemic areas in Maine, although the copy numbers detected in environmental samples were much lower than those found in aquaria. Overall, these data show that MarBTN cells can survive well in seawater, and they are released into the water by diseased animals. These findings support the hypothesis that BTN is spread from animal-to-animal by free cells through seawater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael M. Giersch
- Pacific Northwest Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98122, USA; (R.M.G.); (S.F.M.H.); (M.A.Y.); (M.K.); (B.M.G.)
| | - Samuel F. M. Hart
- Pacific Northwest Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98122, USA; (R.M.G.); (S.F.M.H.); (M.A.Y.); (M.K.); (B.M.G.)
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Satyatejas G. Reddy
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME 04544, USA; (S.G.R.); (M.J.O.R.); (P.D.C.); (J.A.F.R.)
- University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Marisa A. Yonemitsu
- Pacific Northwest Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98122, USA; (R.M.G.); (S.F.M.H.); (M.A.Y.); (M.K.); (B.M.G.)
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - María J. Orellana Rosales
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME 04544, USA; (S.G.R.); (M.J.O.R.); (P.D.C.); (J.A.F.R.)
- Southern Maine Community College, South Portland, ME 04106, USA
| | - Madelyn Korn
- Pacific Northwest Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98122, USA; (R.M.G.); (S.F.M.H.); (M.A.Y.); (M.K.); (B.M.G.)
- Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
| | - Brook M. Geleta
- Pacific Northwest Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98122, USA; (R.M.G.); (S.F.M.H.); (M.A.Y.); (M.K.); (B.M.G.)
- Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN 55105, USA
| | - Peter D. Countway
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME 04544, USA; (S.G.R.); (M.J.O.R.); (P.D.C.); (J.A.F.R.)
| | - José A. Fernández Robledo
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME 04544, USA; (S.G.R.); (M.J.O.R.); (P.D.C.); (J.A.F.R.)
| | - Michael J. Metzger
- Pacific Northwest Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98122, USA; (R.M.G.); (S.F.M.H.); (M.A.Y.); (M.K.); (B.M.G.)
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +206-726-1220
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11
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Silva RCMC, Panis C, Pires BRB. Lessons from transmissible cancers for immunotherapy and transplant. Immunol Med 2021; 45:146-161. [PMID: 34962854 DOI: 10.1080/25785826.2021.2018783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of horizontal transmission of cancer between vertebrates is an issue that interests scientists and medical society. Transmission requires: (i) a mechanism by which cancer cells can transfer to another organism and (ii) a repressed immune response on the part of the recipient. Transmissible tumors are unique models to comprehend the responses and mechanisms mediated by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which can be transposed for transplant biology. Here, we discuss the mechanisms involved in immune-mediated tissue rejection, making a parallel with transmissible cancers. We also discuss cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in cancer immunotherapy and anti-rejection therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Cardoso Maciel Costa Silva
- Laboratory of Immunoreceptors and Signaling, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carolina Panis
- Laboratory of Tumor Biology, State University of West Paraná, UNIOESTE, Francisco Beltrão, Brazil
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12
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Baez-Ortega A. As cancer grows old. Science 2021; 374:1066. [PMID: 34822272 DOI: 10.1126/science.abm8137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Baez-Ortega
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK.,Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0AG, UK
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13
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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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14
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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Non-Coding RNAs Associated with Transmissible Cancers in Tasmanian Devil, Domestic Dog and Bivalves. Noncoding RNA 2021; 7:ncrna7040072. [PMID: 34842768 PMCID: PMC8628904 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna7040072] [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: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently there are nine known examples of transmissible cancers in nature. They have been observed in domestic dog, Tasmanian devil, and six bivalve species. These tumours can overcome host immune defences and spread to other members of the same species. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are known to play roles in tumorigenesis and immune system evasion. Despite their potential importance in transmissible cancers, there have been no studies on ncRNA function in this context to date. Here, we present possible applications of the CRISPR/Cas system to study the RNA biology of transmissible cancers. Specifically, we explore how ncRNAs may play a role in the immortality and immune evasion ability of these tumours.
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15
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Spatial variation in gene expression of Tasmanian devil facial tumors despite minimal host transcriptomic response to infection. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:698. [PMID: 34579650 PMCID: PMC8477496 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07994-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transmissible cancers lie at the intersection of oncology and infectious disease, two traditionally divergent fields for which gene expression studies are particularly useful for identifying the molecular basis of phenotypic variation. In oncology, transcriptomics studies, which characterize the expression of thousands of genes, have identified processes leading to heterogeneity in cancer phenotypes and individual prognoses. More generally, transcriptomics studies of infectious diseases characterize interactions between host, pathogen, and environment to better predict population-level outcomes. Tasmanian devils have been impacted dramatically by a transmissible cancer (devil facial tumor disease; DFTD) that has led to widespread population declines. Despite initial predictions of extinction, populations have persisted at low levels, due in part to heterogeneity in host responses, particularly between sexes. However, the processes underlying this variation remain unknown. RESULTS We sequenced transcriptomes from healthy and DFTD-infected devils, as well as DFTD tumors, to characterize host responses to DFTD infection, identify differing host-tumor molecular interactions between sexes, and investigate the extent to which tumor gene expression varies among host populations. We found minimal variation in gene expression of devil lip tissues, either with respect to DFTD infection status or sex. However, 4088 genes were differentially expressed in tumors among our sampling localities. Pathways that were up- or downregulated in DFTD tumors relative to normal tissues exhibited the same patterns of expression with greater intensity in tumors from localities that experienced DFTD for longer. No mRNA sequence variants were associated with expression variation. CONCLUSIONS Expression variation among localities may reflect morphological differences in tumors that alter ratios of normal-to-tumor cells within biopsies. Phenotypic variation in tumors may arise from environmental variation or differences in host immune response that were undetectable in lip biopsies, potentially reflecting variation in host-tumor coevolutionary relationships among sites that differ in the time since DFTD arrival.
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16
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Ní Leathlobhair M, Yetsko K, Farrell JA, Iaria C, Marino G, Duffy DJ, Murchison EP. Genotype data not consistent with clonal transmission of sea turtle fibropapillomatosis or goldfish schwannoma. Wellcome Open Res 2021; 6:219. [PMID: 34622016 PMCID: PMC8459624 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17073.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent discoveries of transmissible cancers in multiple bivalve species suggest that direct transmission of cancer cells within species may be more common than previously thought, particularly in aquatic environments. Fibropapillomatosis occurs with high prevalence in green sea turtles ( Chelonia mydas) and the geographic range of disease has increased since fibropapillomatosis was first reported in this species. Widespread incidence of schwannomas, benign tumours of Schwann cell origin, reported in aquarium-bred goldfish (Carassius auratus), suggest an infectious aetiology. We investigated the hypothesis that cancers in these species arise by clonal transmission of cancer cells. Through analysis of polymorphic microsatellite alleles, we demonstrate concordance of host and tumour genotypes in diseased animals. These results imply that the tumours examined arose from independent oncogenic transformation of host tissue and were not clonally transmitted. Further, failure to experimentally transmit goldfish schwannoma via water exposure or inoculation suggest that this disease is unlikely to have an infectious aetiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Máire Ní Leathlobhair
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, UK
- Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kelsey Yetsko
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, Florida, 32080, USA
| | - Jessica A. Farrell
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, Florida, 32080, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - Carmelo Iaria
- Centre of Experimental Fish Pathology of Sicily (CISS), Viale Giovanni Palatucci, University of Messina, 98168, Messina, Italy
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d'Alcontres, n 31, University of Messina, 98166, Messina, Italy
| | - Gabriele Marino
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Viale Giovanni Palatucci, University of Messina, 98168, Messina, Italy
| | - David J. Duffy
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, Florida, 32080, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - Elizabeth P. Murchison
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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17
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Lusi EA, Caicci F, Quartuccio M. Shifting paradigms in cancer treatment. Br J Surg 2021; 108:e113-e114. [PMID: 33793740 DOI: 10.1093/bjs/znaa130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E A Lusi
- St Vincent Health Care Group-UCD, Dublin, Ireland
| | - F Caicci
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Department of Biology, University of Padua, Italy
| | - M Quartuccio
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Italy
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18
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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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19
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Dujon AM, Bramwell G, Roche B, Thomas F, Ujvari B. Transmissible cancers in mammals and bivalves: How many examples are there?: Predictions indicate widespread occurrence. Bioessays 2020; 43:e2000222. [PMID: 33210313 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Transmissible cancers are elusive and understudied parasitic life forms caused by malignant clonal cells (nine lineages are known so far). They emerge by completing sequential steps that include breaking cell cooperation, evade anti-cancer defences and shedding cells to infect new hosts. Transmissible cancers impair host fitness, and their importance as selective force is likely largely underestimated. It is, therefore, crucial to determine how common they might be in the wild. Here, we draw a parallel between the steps required for a transmissible cancer to emerge and the steps required for an intelligent civilisation to emerge in the Milky Way using a modified Drake equation. Using numerical analyses, we estimate the potential number of extant marine and bivalve species in which transmissible cancers might exist. Our results suggest that transmissible cancers are more common than expected, and that new lineages can be found by screening a large number of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine M Dujon
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic, Australia.,CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,CANECEV International Research Project, Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC), Montpellier
| | - Georgina Bramwell
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic, Australia.,CANECEV International Research Project, Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC), Montpellier
| | - Benjamin Roche
- IRD, Sorbonne Université, Bondy, France.,MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México, México
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,CANECEV International Research Project, Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC), Montpellier
| | - Beata Ujvari
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic, Australia.,CANECEV International Research Project, Centre de Recherches Ecologiques et Evolutives sur le Cancer (CREEC), Montpellier
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20
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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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21
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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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22
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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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23
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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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24
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Patton AH, Margres MJ, Stahlke AR, Hendricks S, Lewallen K, Hamede RK, Ruiz-Aravena M, Ryder O, McCallum HI, Jones ME, Hohenlohe PA, Storfer A. Contemporary Demographic Reconstruction Methods Are Robust to Genome Assembly Quality: A Case Study in Tasmanian Devils. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 36:2906-2921. [PMID: 31424552 PMCID: PMC6878949 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Reconstructing species’ demographic histories is a central focus of molecular ecology and evolution. Recently, an expanding suite of methods leveraging either the sequentially Markovian coalescent (SMC) or the site-frequency spectrum has been developed to reconstruct population size histories from genomic sequence data. However, few studies have investigated the robustness of these methods to genome assemblies of varying quality. In this study, we first present an improved genome assembly for the Tasmanian devil using the Chicago library method. Compared with the original reference genome, our new assembly reduces the number of scaffolds (from 35,975 to 10,010) and increases the scaffold N90 (from 0.101 to 2.164 Mb). Second, we assess the performance of four contemporary genomic methods for inferring population size history (PSMC, MSMC, SMC++, Stairway Plot), using the two devil genome assemblies as well as simulated, artificially fragmented genomes that approximate the hypothesized demographic history of Tasmanian devils. We demonstrate that each method is robust to assembly quality, producing similar estimates of Ne when simulated genomes were fragmented into up to 5,000 scaffolds. Overall, methods reliant on the SMC are most reliable between ∼300 generations before present (gbp) and 100 kgbp, whereas methods exclusively reliant on the site-frequency spectrum are most reliable between the present and 30 gbp. Our results suggest that when used in concert, genomic methods for reconstructing species’ effective population size histories 1) can be applied to nonmodel organisms without highly contiguous reference genomes, and 2) are capable of detecting independently documented effects of historical geological events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin H Patton
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Mark J Margres
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, MA
| | - Amanda R Stahlke
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
| | - Sarah Hendricks
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
| | - Kevin Lewallen
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
| | - Rodrigo K Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | | | - Oliver Ryder
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego, CA
| | | | - Menna E Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Paul A Hohenlohe
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
| | - Andrew Storfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
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25
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Yonemitsu MA, Giersch RM, Polo-Prieto M, Hammel M, Simon A, Cremonte F, Avilés FT, Merino-Véliz N, Burioli EAV, Muttray AF, Sherry J, Reinisch C, Baldwin SA, Goff SP, Houssin M, Arriagada G, Vázquez N, Bierne N, Metzger MJ. A single clonal lineage of transmissible cancer identified in two marine mussel species in South America and Europe. eLife 2019; 8:e47788. [PMID: 31686650 PMCID: PMC6831032 DOI: 10.7554/elife.47788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmissible cancers, in which cancer cells themselves act as an infectious agent, have been identified in Tasmanian devils, dogs, and four bivalves. We investigated a disseminated neoplasia affecting geographically distant populations of two species of mussels (Mytilus chilensis in South America and M. edulis in Europe). Sequencing alleles from four loci (two nuclear and two mitochondrial) provided evidence of transmissible cancer in both species. Phylogenetic analysis of cancer-associated alleles and analysis of diagnostic SNPs showed that cancers in both species likely arose in a third species of mussel (M. trossulus), but these cancer cells are independent from the previously identified transmissible cancer in M. trossulus from Canada. Unexpectedly, cancers from M. chilensis and M. edulis are nearly identical, showing that the same cancer lineage affects both. Thus, a single transmissible cancer lineage has crossed into two new host species and has been transferred across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and between the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Maurine Hammel
- ISEM, Université de Montpellier, CNRS- EPHE-IRDMontpellierFrance
- IHPE, Université de Montpellier, CNRS-Ifremer-UPVDMontpellierFrance
| | - Alexis Simon
- ISEM, Université de Montpellier, CNRS- EPHE-IRDMontpellierFrance
| | - Florencia Cremonte
- Laboratorio de Parasitología (LAPA)Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR) (CCT CONICET - CENPAT)Puerto MadrynArgentina
| | - Fernando T Avilés
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la VidaUniversidad Andres BelloSantiagoChile
| | - Nicolás Merino-Véliz
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la VidaUniversidad Andres BelloSantiagoChile
| | | | | | - James Sherry
- Water Science & Technology DirectorateEnvironment and Climate Change CanadaBurlingtonCanada
| | - Carol Reinisch
- Water Science & Technology DirectorateEnvironment and Climate Change CanadaBurlingtonCanada
| | - Susan A Baldwin
- Chemical and Biological EngineeringUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverCanada
| | - Stephen P Goff
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteChevy ChaseUnited States
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyColumbia University Medical CenterNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiophysicsColumbia University Medical CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - Maryline Houssin
- Research and DevelopmentLABÉO Frank DuncombeSaint-ContestFrance
- FRE BOREA, MNHN, UPMC, UCN, CNRS-7208, IRD-207, Université de Caen NormandieCaenFrance
| | - Gloria Arriagada
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la VidaUniversidad Andres BelloSantiagoChile
| | - Nuria Vázquez
- Laboratorio de Parasitología (LAPA)Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR) (CCT CONICET - CENPAT)Puerto MadrynArgentina
| | - Nicolas Bierne
- ISEM, Université de Montpellier, CNRS- EPHE-IRDMontpellierFrance
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26
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Baez-Ortega A, Gori K, Strakova A, Allen JL, Allum KM, Bansse-Issa L, Bhutia TN, Bisson JL, Briceño C, Castillo Domracheva A, Corrigan AM, Cran HR, Crawford JT, Davis E, de Castro KF, B de Nardi A, de Vos AP, Delgadillo Keenan L, Donelan EM, Espinoza Huerta AR, Faramade IA, Fazil M, Fotopoulou E, Fruean SN, Gallardo-Arrieta F, Glebova O, Gouletsou PG, Häfelin Manrique RF, Henriques JJGP, Horta RS, Ignatenko N, Kane Y, King C, Koenig D, Krupa A, Kruzeniski SJ, Kwon YM, Lanza-Perea M, Lazyan M, Lopez Quintana AM, Losfelt T, Marino G, Martínez Castañeda S, Martínez-López MF, Meyer M, Migneco EJ, Nakanwagi B, Neal KB, Neunzig W, Ní Leathlobhair M, Nixon SJ, Ortega-Pacheco A, Pedraza-Ordoñez F, Peleteiro MC, Polak K, Pye RJ, Reece JF, Rojas Gutierrez J, Sadia H, Schmeling SK, Shamanova O, Sherlock AG, Stammnitz M, Steenland-Smit AE, Svitich A, Tapia Martínez LJ, Thoya Ngoka I, Torres CG, Tudor EM, van der Wel MG, Viţălaru BA, Vural SA, Walkinton O, Wang J, Wehrle-Martinez AS, Widdowson SAE, Stratton MR, Alexandrov LB, Martincorena I, Murchison EP. Somatic evolution and global expansion of an ancient transmissible cancer lineage. Science 2019; 365:eaau9923. [PMID: 31371581 PMCID: PMC7116271 DOI: 10.1126/science.aau9923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) is a cancer lineage that arose several millennia ago and survives by "metastasizing" between hosts through cell transfer. The somatic mutations in this cancer record its phylogeography and evolutionary history. We constructed a time-resolved phylogeny from 546 CTVT exomes and describe the lineage's worldwide expansion. Examining variation in mutational exposure, we identify a highly context-specific mutational process that operated early in the cancer's evolution but subsequently vanished, correlate ultraviolet-light mutagenesis with tumor latitude, and describe tumors with heritable hyperactivity of an endogenous mutational process. CTVT displays little evidence of ongoing positive selection, and negative selection is detectable only in essential genes. We illustrate how long-lived clonal organisms capture changing mutagenic environments, and reveal that neutral genetic drift is the dominant feature of long-term cancer evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Baez-Ortega
- 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
| | - Andrea Strakova
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Janice L Allen
- Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities (AMRRIC), Darwin, Australia
| | | | | | - Thinlay N Bhutia
- Sikkim Anti-Rabies and Animal Health Programme, Department of Animal Husbandry, Livestock, Fisheries and Veterinary Services, Government of Sikkim, India
| | - Jocelyn L Bisson
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Roslin EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Cristóbal Briceño
- ConserLab, Animal Preventive Medicine Department, Faculty of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | | | | | - Hugh R Cran
- The Nakuru District Veterinary Scheme Ltd, Nakuru, Kenya
| | | | - Eric Davis
- International Animal Welfare Training Institute, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Karina F de Castro
- Centro Universitário de Rio Preto (UNIRP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andrigo B de Nardi
- Department of Clinical and Veterinary Surgery, São Paulo State University (UNESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Edward M Donelan
- Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities (AMRRIC), Darwin, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Eleni Fotopoulou
- Intermunicipal Stray Animals Care Centre (DIKEPAZ), Perama, Greece
| | | | | | | | - Pagona G Gouletsou
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece
| | - Rodrigo F Häfelin Manrique
- Veterinary Clinic El Roble, Animal Healthcare Network, Faculty of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | | | | | | | - Yaghouba Kane
- École Inter-états des Sciences et Médecine Vétérinaires de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | | | | | - Ada Krupa
- Department of Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - Young-Mi Kwon
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | | | - Thibault Losfelt
- Clinique Veterinaire de Grand Fond, Saint Gilles les Bains, Reunion, France
| | - Gabriele Marino
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Simón Martínez Castañeda
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Mayra F Martínez-López
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
- Cancer Development and Innate Immune Evasion Lab, Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Máire Ní Leathlobhair
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | | | - Maria C Peleteiro
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Research in Animal Health (CIISA), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Ruth J Pye
- Vets Beyond Borders, The Rocks, Australia
| | | | | | - Haleema Sadia
- Department of Biotechnology, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan
| | | | | | | | - Maximilian Stammnitz
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Alla Svitich
- State Hospital of Veterinary Medicine, Dniprodzerzhynsk, Ukraine
| | | | | | - Cristian G Torres
- Laboratory of Biomedicine and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Elizabeth M Tudor
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Bogdan A Viţălaru
- Clinical Sciences Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Sevil A Vural
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Jinhong Wang
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | | | - Ludmil B Alexandrov
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth P Murchison
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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27
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Kosack L, Wingelhofer B, Popa A, Orlova A, Agerer B, Vilagos B, Majek P, Parapatics K, Lercher A, Ringler A, Klughammer J, Smyth M, Khamina K, Baazim H, de Araujo ED, Rosa DA, Park J, Tin G, Ahmar S, Gunning PT, Bock C, Siddle HV, Woods GM, Kubicek S, Murchison EP, Bennett KL, Moriggl R, Bergthaler A. The ERBB-STAT3 Axis Drives Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease. Cancer Cell 2019; 35:125-139.e9. [PMID: 30645971 PMCID: PMC6335503 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2018.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Revised: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The marsupial Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) faces extinction due to transmissible devil facial tumor disease (DFTD). To unveil the molecular underpinnings of this transmissible cancer, we combined pharmacological screens with an integrated systems-biology characterization. Sensitivity to inhibitors of ERBB tyrosine kinases correlated with their overexpression. Proteomic and DNA methylation analyses revealed tumor-specific signatures linked to the evolutionary conserved oncogenic STAT3. ERBB inhibition blocked phosphorylation of STAT3 and arrested cancer cells. Pharmacological blockade of ERBB or STAT3 prevented tumor growth in xenograft models and restored MHC class I expression. This link between the hyperactive ERBB-STAT3 axis and major histocompatibility complex class I-mediated tumor immunosurveillance provides mechanistic insights into horizontal transmissibility and puts forward a dual chemo-immunotherapeutic strategy to save Tasmanian devils from DFTD. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Kosack
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Bettina Wingelhofer
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexandra Popa
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Anna Orlova
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Benedikt Agerer
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Bojan Vilagos
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Majek
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Katja Parapatics
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander Lercher
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Anna Ringler
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Johanna Klughammer
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Mark Smyth
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Kseniya Khamina
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Hatoon Baazim
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - David A Rosa
- University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Jisung Park
- University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Gary Tin
- University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Siawash Ahmar
- University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | | | - Christoph Bock
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Hannah V Siddle
- Department of Biological Science, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Gregory M Woods
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
| | - Stefan Kubicek
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Elizabeth P Murchison
- Transmissible Cancer Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK
| | - Keiryn L Bennett
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Moriggl
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Bergthaler
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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28
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Schwenzer H, Fassati A. The Deadly Bite of STAT3. Cancer Cell 2019; 35:5-7. [PMID: 30645976 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2018.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The Tasmanian devils' facial tumor disease (DFTD) is a transmissible cancer that spreads by biting and threatens extinction of this marsupial. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Kosack et al. describe how overexpression of ERBB and uncontrolled activation of STAT3 drive DFTD growth and immune evasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagen Schwenzer
- Department of Oncology, Oxford University, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Ariberto Fassati
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London WC1E 4JF, UK.
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Apari P, Müller V. Paradoxes of tumour complexity: somatic selection, vulnerability by design, or infectious aetiology? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:1075-1088. [PMID: 30592143 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The aetiology of cancer involves intricate cellular and molecular mechanisms that apparently emerge on the short timescale of a single lifetime. Some of these traits are remarkable not only for their complexity, but also because it is hard to conceive selection pressures that would favour their evolution within the local competitive microenvironment of the tumour. Examples include 'niche construction' (re-programming of tumour-specific target sites) to create permissive conditions for distant metastases; long-range feedback loops of tumour growth; and remarkably 'plastic' phenotypes (e.g. density-dependent dispersal) associated with metastatic cancer. These traits, which we term 'paradoxical tumour traits', facilitate the long-range spread or long-term persistence of the tumours, but offer no apparent benefit, and might even incur costs in the competition of clones within the tumour. We discuss three possible scenarios for the origin of these characters: somatic selection driven by specific selection regimes; non-adaptive emergence due to inherent vulnerabilities in the organism; and manipulation by putative transmissible agents that contribute to and benefit from these traits. Our work highlights a lack of understanding of some aspects of tumour development, and offers alternative hypotheses that might guide further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Apari
- Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary.,Evolutionary Systems Research Group, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Tihany 8237, Hungary
| | - Viktor Müller
- Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary.,Evolutionary Systems Research Group, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Tihany 8237, Hungary
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Fassati A. What a dog transmissible tumor can teach us about cancer regression. Mol Cell Oncol 2018; 5:e1472059. [PMID: 30250922 DOI: 10.1080/23723556.2018.1472059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) is one of the few clonally transmissible cancers in nature and the only one that fully regresses following treatment with vincristine. The molecular signature of CTVT regression has been described in a recent paper published in Cancer Cell, revealing some fundamental insights into cancer regression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariberto Fassati
- Division of Infection & Immunity, University College London, London, UK
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Storfer A, Hohenlohe PA, Margres MJ, Patton A, Fraik AK, Lawrance M, Ricci LE, Stahlke AR, McCallum HI, Jones ME. The devil is in the details: Genomics of transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14:e1007098. [PMID: 30071111 PMCID: PMC6084034 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Storfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
| | - Paul A. Hohenlohe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Mark J. Margres
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
| | - Austin Patton
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
| | - Alexandra K. Fraik
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
| | - Matthew Lawrance
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
| | - Lauren E. Ricci
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
| | - Amanda R. Stahlke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | | | - Menna E. Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
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Rosenheim JA. Short- and long-term evolution in our arms race with cancer: Why the war on cancer is winnable. Evol Appl 2018; 11:845-852. [PMID: 29928294 PMCID: PMC5999210 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Human society is engaged in an arms race against cancer, which pits one evolutionary process-human cultural evolution as we develop novel cancer therapies-against another evolutionary process-the ability of oncogenic selection operating among cancer cells to select for lineages that are resistant to our therapies. Cancer cells have a powerful ability to evolve resistance over the short term, leading to patient relapse following an initial period of apparent treatment efficacy. However, we are the beneficiaries of a fundamental asymmetry in our arms race against cancer: Whereas our cultural evolution is a long-term and continuous process, resistance evolution in cancer cells operates only over the short term and is discontinuous - all resistance adaptations are lost each time a cancer patient dies. Thus, our cultural adaptations are permanent, whereas cancer's genetic adaptations are ephemeral. Consequently, over the long term, there is good reason to expect that we will emerge as the winners in our war against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay A. Rosenheim
- Department of Entomology and Nematologyand Center for Population Biology, University of California DavisDavisCAUSA
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Dental Pulp Stem Cells - Exploration in a Novel Animal Model: the Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii). Stem Cell Rev Rep 2018; 14:500-509. [PMID: 29737458 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-018-9814-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) are a heterogeneous population of highly proliferative stem cells located in the soft inner pulp tissue of the tooth. Demonstrated to have an affinity for neural differentiation, DPSC have been reported to generate functional Schwann cells (SC) through in vitro differentiation. Both DPSC and SC have neural crest origins, recently a significant population of DPSC have been reported to derive from peripheral nerve-associated glia. The predisposition DPSC have towards the SC lineage is not only a very useful tool for neural regenerative therapies in the medical field, it also holds great promise in the veterinary field. Devil Facial Tumour (DFT) is a clonally transmissible cancer of SC origin responsible for devastating wild populations of the Tasmanian devil. Very few studies have investigated the healthy Tasmanian devil SC (tdSC) for comparative studies between tdSC and DFT cells, and the development and isolation of a tdSC population is yet to be undertaken. A Tasmanian devil DPSC model offers a promising new outlook for DFT research, and the link between SC and DPSC may provide a potential explanation as to how a cancerous SC initially arose in a single Tasmanian devil to then go on to infect others as a parasitic clonal cell line. In this review we explore the current role of DPSC in human regenerative medicine, provide an overview of the Tasmanian devil and the devastating effect of DFT, and highlight the promising potential DPSC techniques pose for DFT research and our current understanding of DFT.
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