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The origins and vulnerabilities of two transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils

Citation

Stammnitz, MR and Coorens, THH and Gori, KC and Hayes, DA and Fu, B and Wang, J and Martin-Herranz, DE and Alexandrov, LB and Baez-Ortega, A and Barthorpe, S and Beck, A and Giordano, F and Knowles, GW and Kwon, YM and Hall, G and Price, S and Pye, RJ and Tubio, JMC and Siddle, HVT and Sohal, SS and Woods, GM and McDermott, U and Yang, F and Garnett, MJ and Ning, Z and Murchison, EP, The origins and vulnerabilities of two transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils, Cancer Cell, 33, (4) Article e15. ISSN 1535-6108 (2018) [Refereed Article]


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Copyright Statement

Copyright 2018 The Authors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Official URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/...

DOI: doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2018.03.013

Abstract

Transmissible cancers are clonal lineages that spread through populations via contagious cancer cells. Although rare in nature, two facial tumor clones affect Tasmanian devils. Here we perform comparative genetic and functional characterization of these lineages. The two cancers have similar patterns of mutation and show no evidence of exposure to exogenous mutagens or viruses. Genes encoding PDGF receptors have copy number gains and are present on extrachromosomal double minutes. Drug screening indicates causative roles for receptor tyrosine kinases and sensitivity to inhibitors of DNA repair. Y chromosome loss from a male clone infecting a female host suggests immunoediting. These results imply that Tasmanian devils may have inherent susceptibility to transmissible cancers and present a suite of therapeutic compounds for use in conservation.

Item Details

Item Type:Refereed Article
Keywords:Tasmanian devils, cancer, cancer evolution, cancer genomics, conservation, contagious cancer, drug screening, marsupials, transmissible cancer
Research Division:Biological Sciences
Research Group:Zoology
Research Field:Animal immunology
Objective Division:Environmental Management
Objective Group:Terrestrial systems and management
Objective Field:Terrestrial biodiversity
UTAS Author:Hayes, DA (Mr Dane Hayes)
UTAS Author:Pye, RJ (Ms Ruth Pye)
UTAS Author:Sohal, SS (Dr Sukhwinder Sohal)
UTAS Author:Woods, GM (Professor Gregory Woods)
ID Code:126601
Year Published:2018
Web of Science® Times Cited:57
Deposited By:Menzies Institute for Medical Research
Deposited On:2018-06-19
Last Modified:2019-02-18
Downloads:102 View Download Statistics

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