Anti-cancer genes
Tasmanian devils were found to have gene regions that contribute to the reduction of a cancerous tumor
Alexey Yevglevsky, Naked Science
Researchers from the University of Washington studied the DNA of Tasmanian devils with facial tumor (DFTD) and those of their relatives who have developed resistance to the disease. They have identified several gene sites that may be responsible for tumor shrinkage. The work was published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution (Margres et al., The Genomic Basis of Tumor Regression in Tasmanian Devils (Sarcophilus harrisii).
Tasmanian Devil facial tumor is a malignant disease that is fatal in almost 100 percent of cases. It was first recorded in 1996, and by now it has led to the death of 80 percent of the entire population.
A year ago, Australian scientists who were catching and tagging animals noticed something unusual. Some of the labeled individuals with a facial tumor did not die like the rest of the patients. Further observations showed that they, on the contrary, went on the mend, and the tumor decreased. The researchers wanted to find out what is the reason for such an atypical development – for this they teamed up with colleagues from the University of Washington.
The authors sequenced the genomes of seven Tasmanian devils with cancer resistance and three common cases. They found three distinctive regions in the DNA of recovered animals that are associated with the body's immune response. Mark Margres, who took part in the work, spoke in more detail about the results obtained:
"We have identified some candidate genes that, in our opinion, are associated with cancer regression. We will now begin functional tests of these genes to see if the same reaction can be artificially induced. It's hard to say anything definite with such a small sample, but these data can help develop a basis for genetic resistance to tumors."
Tasmanian devils are not the first mammals to have a genetic mechanism for reducing cancerous tumors. The same ability was found in people with Merkel carcinoma, an aggressive skin cancer. The first recovery was recorded in 1986. A total of 22 such cases have been known since that time.
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