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Allorecognition in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), an endangered marsupial species with limited genetic diversity
Citation
Kreiss, A and Cheng, Y and Kimble, F and Wells, B and Donovan, S and Belov, K and Woods, GM, Allorecognition in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), an endangered marsupial species with limited genetic diversity, PL o S One, 6, (7) Article e22402. ISSN 1932-6203 (2011) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2010 Kreiss, A et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
DOI: doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022402
Abstract
Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are on the verge of extinction due to a transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour
disease (DFTD). This tumour is an allograft that is transmitted between individuals without immune recognition of the
tumour cells. The mechanism to explain this lack of immune recognition and acceptance is not well understood. It has been
hypothesized that lack of genetic diversity at the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) allowed the tumour cells to grow
in genetically similar hosts without evoking an immune response to alloantigens. We conducted mixed lymphocyte
reactions and skin grafts to measure functional MHC diversity in the Tasmanian devil population. The limited MHC diversity
was sufficient to produce measurable mixed lymphocyte reactions. There was a wide range of responses, from low or no
reaction to relatively strong responses. The highest responses occurred when lymphocytes from devils from the east of
Tasmania were mixed with lymphocytes from devils from the west of Tasmania. All of the five successful skin allografts were
rejected within 14 days after surgery, even though little or no MHC I and II mismatches were found. Extensive T-cell
infiltration characterised the immune rejection. We conclude that Tasmanian devils are capable of allogeneic rejection.
Consequently, a lack of functional allorecognition mechanisms in the devil population does not explain the transmission of
a contagious cancer.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Research Division: | Medical and Health Sciences |
| Research Group: | Immunology |
| Research Field: | Transplantation Immunology |
| Objective Division: | Health |
| Objective Group: | Clinical Health (Organs, Diseases and Abnormal Conditions) |
| Objective Field: | Immune System and Allergy |
| UTAS Author: | Kreiss, A (Dr Alexandre Kreiss) |
| UTAS Author: | Kimble, F (Associate Professor Frank Kimble) |
| UTAS Author: | Wells, B (Mr Barrie Wells) |
| UTAS Author: | Woods, GM (Professor Gregory Woods) |
| ID Code: | 73044 |
| Year Published: | 2011 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 39 |
| Deposited By: | Menzies Institute for Medical Research |
| Deposited On: | 2011-09-08 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-11-07 |
| Downloads: | 351 View Download Statistics |
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