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Scientists from the Cancer Center at the University of Colorado analyzed genetic mutations in canine and human cancer patients and found that 61 genetic variants in 33 cell lines in dogs provoke the development of cancer and correspond to known risk factors for human cancer.
Humans have about 23,000 genes with various genetic variations, the vast majority of which do not carry any functions and only very few cause cancer. The study used sequencing of all protein-coding genes in the genome (excluding the so-called "junk" genes that do not manifest themselves in any way). The purpose of this study was to confirm the assumptions about the similarity of genetic mutations that provoke cancer in dogs and humans.
As it turned out, mutations in animals were sensitive to the same drugs that are usually used for humans.
After detecting human oncogenes in cancer cells in dogs, scientists divided them into 10 functional categories: genes controlling proliferation, cell cycle, DNA repair, etc. Then, scientists compared each of these categories with heat maps of suspicious genetic variants that are widespread in cancer cell lines, but their danger has not yet been proven.
The study allows us to discover new drivers of cancer in dogs, which could potentially be new drivers in humans, and optimize therapy for both types by conducting drug trials on dogs. The project will help to find out not only which types of cancers in dogs are very similar to human cancers, but also which medications for humans act against cancer in dogs. It will also work in the opposite direction: the discovery of genes that cause cancer in dogs may lead to the discovery of new targets for anti-cancer drugs in humans.
Now the goal is to collect as much data about tumors in dogs as possible and expand the panel of cell lines. Such an array of data on the cell lines of dogs will serve as a basis for preclinical studies of new combined methods of treatment.
Das et. al's article Identifying candidate druggable targets in canine cancer cell lines using whole exome sequencing is published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.
Elena Panasyuk, portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru / based on Eurekalert How human genetic data is helping dogs fight cancer.