Faculty Opinions recommendation of Genome sequencing and analysis of the Tasmanian devil and its transmissible cancer.

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Attardi
Keyword(s):  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Tasmanian Devil ◽  
Transmissible Cancer

scholarly journals Genome Sequencing and Analysis of the Tasmanian Devil and Its Transmissible Cancer

Cell ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 148 (4) ◽  
pp. 780-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth P. Murchison ◽  
Ole B. Schulz-Trieglaff ◽  
Zemin Ning ◽  
Ludmil B. Alexandrov ◽  
Markus J. Bauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Tasmanian Devil ◽  
Transmissible Cancer

scholarly journals Evolution and lineage dynamics of a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils

PLoS Biology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. e3000926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Mi Kwon ◽  
Kevin Gori ◽  
Naomi Park ◽  
Nicole Potts ◽  
Kate Swift ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Selection ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Genome Instability ◽  
Copy Number Variants ◽  
Tasmanian Devil ◽  
Transmissible Cancer

Devil facial tumour 1 (DFT1) is a transmissible cancer clone endangering the Tasmanian devil. The expansion of DFT1 across Tasmania has been documented, but little is known of its evolutionary history. We analysed genomes of 648 DFT1 tumours collected throughout the disease range between 2003 and 2018. DFT1 diverged early into five clades, three spreading widely and two failing to persist. One clade has replaced others at several sites, and rates of DFT1 coinfection are high. DFT1 gradually accumulates copy number variants (CNVs), and its telomere lengths are short but constant. Recurrent CNVs reveal genes under positive selection, sites of genome instability, and repeated loss of a small derived chromosome. Cultured DFT1 cell lines have increased CNV frequency and undergo highly reproducible convergent evolution. Overall, DFT1 is a remarkably stable lineage whose genome illustrates how cancer cells adapt to diverse environments and persist in a parasitic niche.

scholarly journals Tasman-PCR: a genetic diagnostic assay for Tasmanian devil facial tumour diseases

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 180870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Mi Kwon ◽  
Maximilian R. Stammnitz ◽  
Jinhong Wang ◽  
Kate Swift ◽  
Graeme W. Knowles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Tasmanian Devil ◽  
Polymorphic Markers ◽  
Diagnostic Assay ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Processing Times ◽  
Transmissible Cancer ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Tasmanian devils have spawned two transmissible cancer clones, known as devil facial tumour 1 (DFT1) and devil facial tumour 2 (DFT2). DFT1 and DFT2 are transmitted between animals by the transfer of allogeneic contagious cancer cells by biting, and both cause facial tumours. DFT1 and DFT2 tumours are grossly indistinguishable, but can be differentiated using histopathology, cytogenetics or genotyping of polymorphic markers. However, standard diagnostic methods require specialist skills and equipment and entail long processing times. Here, we describe Tasman-PCR: a simple polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic assay that identifies and distinguishes DFT1 and DFT2 by amplification of DNA spanning tumour-specific interchromosomal translocations. We demonstrate the high sensitivity and specificity of this assay by testing DNA from 546 tumours and 804 normal devils. A temporal–spatial screen confirmed the reported geographic ranges of DFT1 and DFT2 and did not provide evidence of additional DFT clones. DFT2 affects disproportionately more males than females, and devils can be co-infected with DFT1 and DFT2. Overall, we present a PCR-based assay that delivers rapid, accurate and high-throughput diagnosis of DFT1 and DFT2. This tool provides an additional resource for devil disease management and may assist with ongoing conservation efforts.

scholarly journals Cathelicidin-3 associated with serum extracellular vesicles enables early diagnosis of a transmissible cancer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Espejo ◽  
Richard Wilson ◽  
Ruth J. Pye ◽  
Julian C. Ratcliffe ◽  
Manuel Ruiz-Aravena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Biomarker Discovery ◽  
Extracellular Vesicle ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Tasmanian Devil ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Visual Identification ◽  
Devil Facial Tumour Disease ◽  
Transmissible Cancer ◽  
One Year

AbstractThe identification of practical early diagnosis biomarkers is a cornerstone of improved prevention and treatment of cancers. Such a case is devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), a highly lethal transmissible cancer afflicting virtually an entire species, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii). Despite a latent period that can exceed one year, to date DFTD diagnosis requires visual identification of tumour lesions. To enable earlier diagnosis, which is essential for the implementation of effective conservation strategies, we analysed the extracellular vesicle (EV) proteome of 87 Tasmanian devil serum samples. The antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin-3 (CATH3) was enriched in serum EVs of both devils with clinical DFTD (87.9% sensitivity and 94.1% specificity) and devils with latent infection (i.e., collected while overtly healthy, but 3-6 months before subsequent DFTD diagnosis; 93.8% sensitivity and 94.1% specificity). As antimicrobial peptides can play a variety of roles in the cancer process, our results suggest that the specific elevation of serum EV-associated CATH3 may be mechanistically involved in DFTD pathogenesis. This EV-based approach to biomarker discovery is directly applicable to improving understanding and diagnosis of a broad range of diseases in other species, and these findings directly enhance the capacity of conservation strategies to ensure the viability of the imperilled Tasmanian devil population.

A transmissible cancer shifts from emergence to endemism in Tasmanian devils

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 370 (6522) ◽  
pp. eabb9772
Author(s):  
Austin H. Patton ◽  
Matthew F. Lawrance ◽  
Mark J. Margres ◽  
Christopher P. Kozakiewicz ◽  
Rodrigo Hamede ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infected Individual ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Tasmanian Devil ◽  
Secondary Infections ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Transmissible Cancer ◽  
Devil Facial Tumor Disease ◽  
Human Viruses

Emerging infectious diseases pose one of the greatest threats to human health and biodiversity. Phylodynamics is often used to infer epidemiological parameters essential for guiding intervention strategies for human viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2). Here, we applied phylodynamics to elucidate the epidemiological dynamics of Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), a fatal, transmissible cancer with a genome thousands of times larger than that of any virus. Despite prior predictions of devil extinction, transmission rates have declined precipitously from ~3.5 secondary infections per infected individual to ~1 at present. Thus, DFTD appears to be transitioning from emergence to endemism, lending hope for the continued survival of the endangered Tasmanian devil. More generally, our study demonstrates a new phylodynamic analytical framework that can be applied to virtually any pathogen.

Possible mechanisms of transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuriye Nuray Ulusu
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Cellular Metabolism ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Tasmanian Devil ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Transmissible Cancer ◽  
Devil Facial Tumor Disease ◽  
The One

Abstract:Physical transfer of viable tumor cells from one organism to another is known as transmissible cancer, which is observed in dogs, Tasmanian devils, Syrian hamsters, and some soft-shell clams. Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease is transmitted like an infectious disease between individuals through biting and other close contact. This extinction type is quite different from the other extinction types such as ecological factors. Transmissible cancers’ cellular metabolism is also different from the both normal cellular metabolism and other types of cancers’ metabolism. The lack of an immune response against the Tasmanian devil facial tumor cells is the one of the key points in the transmission of the cancerous cells. The differentiated cellular metabolism and absence of immune reaction may be due to the organisms’ enzymes. Cells may have altered surface proteins by altering enzymatic activities that cannot be recognized by both the innate and adaptive responses. The promiscuity of the key enzymes may be associated with unwanted side effects, such as cannot recognize molecular patterns on the transmitted cell or hypomethylation of DNA by altering catalytic properties enzymes or altered matrix metalloproteinases or cathelicidins.

scholarly journals Two Decades of the Impact of Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1043-1054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory M Woods ◽  
Samantha Fox ◽  
Andrew S Flies ◽  
Cesar D Tovar ◽  
Menna Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Decline ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Tasmanian Devil ◽  
Island Species ◽  
Island State ◽  
Transmissible Cancer ◽  
Genomic Studies ◽  
Devil Facial Tumor Disease ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe Tasmanian devil, a marsupial carnivore, has been restricted to the island state of Tasmania since its extinction on the Australian mainland about 3000 years ago. In the past two decades, this species has experienced severe population decline due to the emergence of devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), a transmissible cancer. During these 20 years, scientists have puzzled over the immunological and evolutionary responses by the Tasmanian devil to this transmissible cancer. Targeted strategies in population management and disease control have been developed as well as comparative processes to identify variation in tumor and host genetics. A multi-disciplinary approach with multi-institutional teams has produced considerable advances over the last decade. This has led to a greater understanding of the molecular pathogenesis and genomic classification of this cancer. New and promising developments in the Tasmanian devil’s story include evidence that most immunized, and some wild devils, can produce an immune response to DFTD. Furthermore, epidemiology combined with genomic studies suggest a rapid evolution to the disease and that DFTD will become an endemic disease. Since 1998 there have been more than 350 publications, distributed over 37 Web of Science categories. A unique endemic island species has become an international curiosity that is in the spotlight of integrative and comparative biology research.

scholarly journals Marsupial Genome Sequences: Providing Insight into Evolution and Disease

Scientifica ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janine E. Deakin
Keyword(s):  
Tammar Wallaby ◽  
Tasmanian Devil ◽  
Genome Sequences ◽  
Transmissible Cancer ◽  
Marsupial Species ◽  
Exciting Time ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Answering Questions ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Genome Projects

Marsupials (metatherians), with their position in vertebrate phylogeny and their unique biological features, have been studied for many years by a dedicated group of researchers, but it has only been since the sequencing of the first marsupial genome that their value has been more widely recognised. We now have genome sequences for three distantly related marsupial species (the grey short-tailed opossum, the tammar wallaby, and Tasmanian devil), with the promise of many more genomes to be sequenced in the near future, making this a particularly exciting time in marsupial genomics. The emergence of a transmissible cancer, which is obliterating the Tasmanian devil population, has increased the importance of obtaining and analysing marsupial genome sequence for understanding such diseases as well as for conservation efforts. In addition, these genome sequences have facilitated studies aimed at answering questions regarding gene and genome evolution and provided insight into the evolution of epigenetic mechanisms. Here I highlight the major advances in our understanding of evolution and disease, facilitated by marsupial genome projects, and speculate on the future contributions to be made by such sequences.

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