RESUMO
The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), the largest marsupial carnivore, is endangered due to a transmissible facial cancer spread by direct transfer of living cancer cells through biting. Here we describe the sequencing, assembly, and annotation of the Tasmanian devil genome and whole-genome sequences for two geographically distant subclones of the cancer. Genomic analysis suggests that the cancer first arose from a female Tasmanian devil and that the clone has subsequently genetically diverged during its spread across Tasmania. The devil cancer genome contains more than 17,000 somatic base substitution mutations and bears the imprint of a distinct mutational process. Genotyping of somatic mutations in 104 geographically and temporally distributed Tasmanian devil tumors reveals the pattern of evolution and spread of this parasitic clonal lineage, with evidence of a selective sweep in one geographical area and persistence of parallel lineages in other populations.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Faciais/veterinária , Instabilidade Genômica , Marsupiais/genética , Mutação , Animais , Evolução Clonal , Espécies em Perigo de Extinção , Neoplasias Faciais/epidemiologia , Neoplasias Faciais/genética , Neoplasias Faciais/patologia , Feminino , Estudo de Associação Genômica Ampla , Masculino , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Tasmânia/epidemiologiaRESUMO
The iconic Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is endangered due to the transmissible cancer Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), of which there are two genetically independent subtypes (DFT1 and DFT2). While DFT1 and DFT2 can be differentially diagnosed using tumour biopsies, there is an urgent need to develop less-invasive biomarkers that can detect DFTD and distinguish between subtypes. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), the nano-sized membrane-enclosed vesicles present in most biofluids, represent a valuable resource for biomarker discovery. Here, we characterized the proteome of EVs from cultured DFTD cells using data-independent acquisition-mass spectrometry and an in-house spectral library of > 1500 proteins. EVs from both DFT1 and DFT2 cell lines expressed higher levels of proteins associated with focal adhesion functions. Furthermore, hallmark proteins of epithelial-mesenchymal transition were enriched in DFT2 EVs relative to DFT1 EVs. These findings were validated in EVs derived from serum samples, revealing that the mesenchymal marker tenascin-C was also enriched in EVs derived from the serum of devils infected with DFT2 relative to those infected with DFT1 and healthy controls. This first EV-based investigation of DFTD increases our understanding of the cancers' EVs and their possible involvement in DFTD progression, such as metastasis. Finally, we demonstrated the potential of EVs to differentiate between DFT1 and DFT2, highlighting their potential use as less-invasive liquid biopsies for the Tasmanian devil.
Assuntos
Biomarcadores Tumorais/sangue , Vesículas Extracelulares/metabolismo , Neoplasias Faciais/classificação , Neoplasias Faciais/diagnóstico , Marsupiais/metabolismo , Proteoma/análise , Tenascina/sangue , Animais , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Neoplasias Faciais/sangue , Espectrometria de Massas , Proteoma/metabolismoRESUMO
Immune evasion is critical to the growth and survival of cancer cells. This is especially pertinent to transmissible cancers, which evade immune detection across genetically diverse hosts. The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is threatened by the emergence of Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), comprising two transmissible cancers (DFT1 and DFT2). The development of effective prophylactic vaccines and therapies against DFTD has been restricted by an incomplete understanding of how allogeneic DFT1 and DFT2 cells maintain immune evasion upon activation of tumour-specific immune responses. In this study, we used RNA sequencing to examine tumours from three experimental DFT1 cases. Two devils received a vaccine prior to inoculation with live DFT1 cells, providing an opportunity to explore changes to DFT1 cancers under immune pressure. Analysis of DFT1 in the non-immunised devil revealed a 'myelinating Schwann cell' phenotype, reflecting both natural DFT1 cancers and the DFT1 cell line used for the experimental challenge. Comparatively, immunised devils exhibited a 'dedifferentiated mesenchymal' DFT1 phenotype. A third 'immune-enriched' phenotype, characterised by increased PDL1 and CTLA-4 expression, was detected in a DFT1 tumour that arose after immunotherapy. In response to immune pressure, mesenchymal plasticity and upregulation of immune checkpoint molecules are used by human cancers to evade immune responses. Similar mechanisms are associated with immune evasion by DFTD cancers, providing novel insights that will inform modification of DFTD vaccines. As DFT1 and DFT2 are clonal cancers transmitted across genetically distinct hosts, the Tasmanian devil provides a 'natural' disease model for more broadly exploring these immune evasion mechanisms in cancer.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Faciais , Marsupiais , Vacinas , Animais , Neoplasias Faciais/terapia , Humanos , Imunoterapia , VacinaçãoRESUMO
The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is the only mammalian species known to be affected by multiple transmissible cancers. Devil facial tumours 1 and 2 (DFT1 and DFT2) are independent neoplastic cell lineages that produce large, disfiguring cancers known as devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). The long-term persistence of wild Tasmanian devils is threatened due to the ability of DFTD cells to propagate as contagious allografts and the high mortality rate of DFTD. Recent studies have demonstrated that both DFT1 and DFT2 cancers originated from founder cells of the Schwann cell lineage, an uncommon origin of malignant cancer in humans. This unprecedented finding has revealed a potential predisposition of Tasmanian devils to transmissible cancers of the Schwann cell lineage. In this review, we compare the molecular nature of human Schwann cells and nerve sheath tumours with DFT1 and DFT2 to gain insights into the emergence of transmissible cancers in the Tasmanian devil. We discuss a potential mechanism, whereby Schwann cell plasticity and frequent wounding in Tasmanian devils combine with an inherent cancer predisposition and low genetic diversity to give rise to transmissible Schwann cell cancers in devils on rare occasions.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Faciais/veterinária , Marsupiais , Animais , Neoplasias Faciais/genética , Neoplasias Faciais/patologia , Humanos , Neoplasias de Bainha Neural/genética , Neoplasias de Bainha Neural/veterinária , Células de Schwann/fisiologiaRESUMO
Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) comprises two genetically distinct transmissible cancers (DFT1 and DFT2) endangering the survival of the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) in the wild. DFT1 first arose from a cell of the Schwann cell lineage; however, the tissue-of-origin of the recently discovered DFT2 cancer is unknown. In this study, we compared the transcriptome and proteome of DFT2 tumours to DFT1 and normal Tasmanian devil tissues to determine the tissue-of-origin of the DFT2 cancer. Our findings demonstrate that DFT2 expresses a range of Schwann cell markers and exhibits expression patterns consistent with a similar origin to the DFT1 cancer. Furthermore, DFT2 cells express genes associated with the repair response to peripheral nerve damage. These findings suggest that devils may be predisposed to transmissible cancers of Schwann cell origin. The combined effect of factors such as frequent nerve damage from biting, Schwann cell plasticity and low genetic diversity may allow these cancers to develop on rare occasions. The emergence of two independent transmissible cancers from the same tissue in the Tasmanian devil presents an unprecedented opportunity to gain insight into cancer development, evolution and immune evasion in mammalian species.
Assuntos
Biomarcadores Tumorais/metabolismo , Neoplasias Faciais/veterinária , Marsupiais/fisiologia , Proteoma/análise , Células de Schwann/patologia , Transcriptoma , Animais , Biomarcadores Tumorais/genética , Neoplasias Faciais/genética , Neoplasias Faciais/metabolismo , Neoplasias Faciais/patologia , Humanos , Células de Schwann/metabolismoRESUMO
Introduction: Macrophage phagocytosis of pathogens and tumour cells is an important early event in protection against infectious disease and cancer. As tumour necrosis factor α (TNF) is an important cytokine in macrophage activation, we investigated the involvement of TNF in macrophage phagocytosis of tumour cells. Methods: We used Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) cancer cells as the target tumour cells. The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) population is threatened by the transmissible DFTD. Using DFTD cells provided the opportunity to determine if these cells can be phagocytosed and investigate requirement for TNF. As effector cells, bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs), generated from C57BL/6 wild type (B6.WT) and C57BL/6 TNF-/- (B6.TNF-/-) mice were used. Phagocytosis of DFTD cells was investigated by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Results: DFTD cells were consistently phagocytosed by B6.WT and B6.TNF-/- BMDMs with similar efficiency in vitro. Consequently the DFTD cells are not resistant to phagocytosis. Following activation by exposure to IFNγ and LPS or LPS alone, B6.TNF-/- BMDMs had higher phagocytic efficiency and lower nitric oxide (NO) production compared to wild-type controls. In addition, NO seems to be unlikely to be the involved in phagocytosis efficiency in IFNγ and LPS activated B6.TNF-/- macrophages and consequences thereof. Conclusion: Our results indicate that TNF is not required for IFNγ and LPS or LPS alone activation of macrophage phagocytosis. TNF may negatively regulate macrophage phagocytosis of tumour cells.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Faciais/imunologia , Neoplasias Faciais/veterinária , Macrófagos/imunologia , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/imunologia , Animais , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Células Cultivadas , Neoplasias Faciais/patologia , Interferon gama/farmacologia , Lipopolissacarídeos/farmacologia , Macrófagos/efeitos dos fármacos , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Marsupiais , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Mutantes , Óxido Nítrico/metabolismo , Fagocitose , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/deficiênciaRESUMO
Clonally transmissible cancers are somatic cell lineages that are spread between individuals via the transfer of living cancer cells. There are only three known naturally occurring transmissible cancers, and these affect dogs, soft-shell clams, and Tasmanian devils, respectively. The Tasmanian devil transmissible facial cancer was first observed in 1996, and is threatening its host species with extinction. Until now, this disease has been consistently associated with a single aneuploid cancer cell lineage that we refer to as DFT1. Here we describe a second transmissible cancer, DFT2, in five devils located in southern Tasmania in 2014 and 2015. DFT2 causes facial tumors that are grossly indistinguishable but histologically distinct from those caused by DFT1. DFT2 bears no detectable cytogenetic similarity to DFT1 and carries a Y chromosome, which contrasts with the female origin of DFT1. DFT2 shows different alleles to both its hosts and DFT1 at microsatellite, structural variant, and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci, confirming that it is a second cancer that can be transmitted between devils as an allogeneic, MHC-discordant graft. These findings indicate that Tasmanian devils have spawned at least two distinct transmissible cancer lineages and suggest that transmissible cancers may arise more frequently in nature than previously considered. The discovery of DFT2 presents important challenges for the conservation of Tasmanian devils and raises the possibility that this species is particularly prone to the emergence of transmissible cancers. More generally, our findings highlight the potential for cancer cells to depart from their hosts and become dangerous transmissible pathogens.
Assuntos
Marsupiais/fisiologia , Neoplasias/veterinária , Alelos , Animais , Quebra Cromossômica , Análise Citogenética , Éxons/genética , Genoma , Geografia , Haplótipos/genética , Cariotipagem , Repetições de Microssatélites/genética , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Neoplasias/genética , Neoplasias/patologia , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único/genética , Tasmânia , Cromossomo X/genéticaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: In utero exposure to particulate matter (PM) from a range of sources is associated with adverse post-natal health; however, the effect of maternal exposure to community-sampled PM on early post-natal lung and immune development is poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: Using a mouse model, we aimed to determine whether in utero exposure to PM alters early post-natal lung function and immune cell populations. We used PM collected from ceiling voids in suburban houses as a proxy for community PM exposure. METHODS: Pregnant C57BL/6 mice were intranasally exposed to ceiling derived PM, or saline alone, at gestational day (E) 13.5, 15.5, and 17.5. When mice were two weeks old, we assessed lung function by the forced oscillation technique, and enumerated T and B cell populations in the spleen and thymus by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Maternal exposure to PM impaired somatic growth of male offspring resulting in reduced lung volume and deficits in lung function. There was no effect on thymic T cell populations in dams and their male offspring but PM decreased the CD4â¯+CD25â¯+â¯T cell population in the female offspring. In contrast, maternal exposure to PM increased splenic CD3â¯+CD4â¯+â¯and CD3â¯+CD8â¯+â¯T cells in dams, and there was some evidence to suggest inhibition of splenic T cell maturation in male but not female offspring. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that maternal exposure to ceiling void PM has the capacity to impair early somatic growth and alter early life immune development in a sex specific manner.
Assuntos
Exposição Materna , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal , Animais , Feminino , Humanos , Pulmão , Masculino , Exposição Materna/efeitos adversos , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Material Particulado , Gravidez , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal/imunologiaRESUMO
Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) is a transmissible cancer that has killed most of the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrissii) population. Since the first case appeared in the mid-1990s, it has spread relentlessly across the Tasmanian devil's geographic range. As Tasmanian devils only exist in Tasmania, Australia, DFTD has the potential to cause extinction of this species. The origin of DFTD was a Schwann cell from a female devil. The disease is transmitted when devils bite each other around the facial areas, a behavior synonymous with this species. Every devil that is 'infected' with DFTD dies from the cancer. Once the DFTD cells have been transmitted, they appear to develop into a cancer without inducing an immune response. The DFTD cancer cells avoid allogeneic recognition because they do not express MHC class I molecules on the cell surface. A reduced genetic diversity and the production of immunosuppressive cytokines may also contribute.
Assuntos
Mordeduras e Picadas/imunologia , Transmissão de Doença Infecciosa , Neoplasias Faciais/imunologia , Marsupiais/imunologia , Células de Schwann/imunologia , Animais , Mordeduras e Picadas/mortalidade , Mordeduras e Picadas/patologia , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/imunologia , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/patologia , Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/imunologia , Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/patologia , Carnivoridade , Células Dendríticas/imunologia , Células Dendríticas/patologia , Neoplasias Faciais/mortalidade , Neoplasias Faciais/patologia , Feminino , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade Classe I/genética , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade Classe I/imunologia , Células Matadoras Naturais/imunologia , Células Matadoras Naturais/patologia , Masculino , Mortalidade , Células de Schwann/patologia , TasmâniaRESUMO
Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) is a transmissible cancer threatening Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) with extinction. There is no preclinical test available for DFTD, and thus our aim was to find biomarkers for DFTD by metabolic fingerprinting. Seventy serum samples from wild Tasmanian devils (35 controls, 35 with tumors) were analyzed by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry. Features were selected by multivariate models (PLS/DA, random forests) comparing age-matched training set (n = 20 × 2) and further complying with fold-change threshold (≥1.4) and Mann-Whitney U-tests with correction for multiple hypotheses (false discovery rate (FDR) q < 0.05). An array of overlapping peptide segments of the N-terminal end of fibrinogen were the strongest positive DFTD markers. These peptides recorded fold-change up to 90, FDR-corrected p value below 0.01, and area under ROC curve of at least 0.80 and also correlated with tumor size (Spearman R > 0.45, p < 0.01). Additional potential markers included amino acid and lipid metabolites, while cortisol and urea were the most significant health predictors (AUC ≥ 0.90). PLS/DA resulted in AUC = 0.997 for the training set and overall sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 97%. A support vector machine model utilizing only the major peptide marker and seven other metabolites led to overall 94% sensitivity and specificity. The novel findings in this first DFTD metabolomics study shed light on metabolic changes in Tasmanian devils affected by DFTD and provide a valuable step toward the development of prognostic biomarkers.
Assuntos
Biomarcadores Tumorais/sangue , Sangue/metabolismo , Neoplasias Faciais/sangue , Marsupiais , Metabolômica/métodos , Animais , Cromatografia Líquida , Fibrinogênio , Espectrometria de Massas , Fragmentos de Peptídeos , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Máquina de Vetores de SuporteRESUMO
Fucoidan, a natural component of seaweeds, is reported to have immunomodulatory and anti-tumor effects. The mechanisms underpinning these activities remain poorly understood. In this study, the cytotoxicity and anti-tumor activities of fucoidan were investigated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. The human AML cell lines NB4, KG1a, HL60, and K562 were treated with fucoidan and cell cycle, cell proliferation, and expression of apoptotic pathways molecules were analyzed. Fucoidan suppressed the proliferation and induced apoptosis through the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways in the acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cell lines NB4 and HL60, but not in KG1a and K562 cells. In NB4 cells, apoptosis was caspase-dependent as it was significantly attenuated by pre-treatment with a pan-caspase inhibitor. P21/WAF1/CIP1 was significantly up-regulated leading to cell cycle arrest. Fucoidan decreased the activation of ERK1/2 and down-regulated the activation of AKT through hypo-phosphorylation of Thr(308) residue but not Ser(473). In vivo, a xenograft model using the NB4 cells was employed. Mice were fed with fucoidan and tumor growth was measured following inoculation with NB4 cells. Subsequently, splenic natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxic activity was also examined. Oral doses of fucoidan significantly delayed tumor growth in the xenograft model and increased cytolytic activity of NK cells. Taken together, these data suggest that the selective inhibitory effect of fucoidan on APL cells and its protective effect against APL development in mice warrant further investigation of fucoidan as a useful agent in treatment of certain types of leukemia.
Assuntos
Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Ciclo Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Diferenciação Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Leucemia Promielocítica Aguda/patologia , Polissacarídeos/farmacologia , Animais , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Humanos , Leucemia Promielocítica Aguda/tratamento farmacológico , Leucemia Promielocítica Aguda/metabolismo , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB CRESUMO
Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is a transmissible cancer that has brought the host species, the Tasmanian devil, to the brink of extinction. The cancer cells avoid allogeneic immune recognition by downregulating cell surface major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I expression. This should prevent CD8(+) T cell, but not natural killer (NK) cell, cytotoxicity. The reason why NK cells, normally reactive to MHC-negative cells, are not activated to kill DFTD cells has not been determined. The immune response of wild devils to DFTD, if it occurs, is uncharacterised. To investigate this, we tested 12 wild devils with DFTD, and found suggestive evidence of low levels of antibodies against DFTD cells in one devil. Eight of these devils were also analysed for cytotoxicity, however, none showed evidence for cytotoxicity against cultured DFTD cells. To establish whether mimicking activation of antitumour responses could induce cytotoxic activity against DFTD, Tasmanian devil peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were treated with either the mitogen Concanavalin A, the Toll-like receptor agonist polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid or recombinant Tasmanian devil IL-2. All induced the PBMC cells to kill cultured DFTD cells, suggesting that activation does not occur after encounter with DFTD cells in vivo, but can be induced. The identification of agents that activate cytotoxicity against DFTD target cells is critical for developing strategies to protect against DFTD. Such agents could function as adjuvants to induce functional immune responses capable of targeting DFTD cells and tumours in vivo.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Faciais/patologia , Leucócitos Mononucleares/citologia , Marsupiais/metabolismo , Mitógenos/farmacologia , Animais , Formação de Anticorpos/efeitos dos fármacos , Formação de Anticorpos/imunologia , Morte Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Concanavalina A/farmacologia , Meios de Cultivo Condicionados/farmacologia , Citotoxicidade Imunológica/efeitos dos fármacos , Neoplasias Faciais/imunologia , Interleucina-2/farmacologia , Leucócitos Mononucleares/efeitos dos fármacos , Poli I-C/farmacologia , Receptor 3 Toll-Like/agonistasRESUMO
Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is a recently emerged fatal transmissible cancer decimating the wild population of Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii). Biting transmits the cancer cells and the tumour develops in the new host as an allograft. The literature reports that immune escape mechanisms employed by DFTD inevitably result in host death. Here we present the first evidence that DFTD regression can occur and that wild devils can mount an immune response against the disease. Of the 52 devils tested, six had serum antibodies against DFTD cells and, in one case, prominent T lymphocyte infiltration in its tumour. Notably, four of the six devils with serum antibody had histories of DFTD regression. The novel demonstration of an immune response against DFTD in wild Tasmanian devils suggests that a proportion of wild devils can produce a protective immune response against naturally acquired DFTD. This has implications for tumour-host coevolution and vaccine development.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Faciais/veterinária , Marsupiais/imunologia , Animais , Neoplasias Faciais/imunologia , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade Classe I/imunologia , Imunoglobulina G/sangue , Imunoglobulina G/imunologia , Linfócitos do Interstício Tumoral/imunologia , Linfócitos T/imunologiaRESUMO
Contagious cancers that pass between individuals as an infectious cell line are highly unusual pathogens. Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) is one such contagious cancer that emerged 16 y ago and is driving the Tasmanian devil to extinction. As both a pathogen and an allograft, DFTD cells should be rejected by the host-immune response, yet DFTD causes 100% mortality among infected devils with no apparent rejection of tumor cells. Why DFTD cells are not rejected has been a question of considerable confusion. Here, we show that DFTD cells do not express cell surface MHC molecules in vitro or in vivo, due to down-regulation of genes essential to the antigen-processing pathway, such as ß2-microglobulin and transporters associated with antigen processing. Loss of gene expression is not due to structural mutations, but to regulatory changes including epigenetic deacetylation of histones. Consequently, MHC class I molecules can be restored to the surface of DFTD cells in vitro by using recombinant devil IFN-γ, which is associated with up-regulation of the MHC class II transactivator, a key transcription factor with deacetylase activity. Further, expression of MHC class I molecules by DFTD cells can occur in vivo during lymphocyte infiltration. These results explain why T cells do not target DFTD cells. We propose that MHC-positive or epigenetically modified DFTD cells may provide a vaccine to DFTD. In addition, we suggest that down-regulation of MHC molecules using regulatory mechanisms allows evolvability of transmissible cancers and could affect the evolutionary trajectory of DFTD.
Assuntos
Espécies em Perigo de Extinção , Epigênese Genética/imunologia , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica/imunologia , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade/imunologia , Marsupiais/imunologia , Neoplasias Cutâneas/imunologia , Neoplasias Cutâneas/veterinária , Evasão Tumoral , Animais , Apresentação de Antígeno/imunologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Interferon gama/imunologia , Neoplasias Cutâneas/patologiaRESUMO
There is a wide variety of cancer types yet, all share some common cellular and molecular behaviors. Most of the chemotherapeutic agents used in cancer treatment are designed to target common deregulated mechanisms within cancer cells. Many healthy tissues are also affected by the cytotoxic effects of these chemical agents. Fucoidan, a natural component of brown seaweed, has anti-cancer activity against various cancer types by targeting key apoptotic molecules. It also has beneficial effects as it can protect against toxicity associated with chemotherapeutic agents and radiation. Thus the synergistic effect of fucoidan with current anti-cancer agents is of considerable interest. This review discusses the mechanisms by which fucoidan retards tumor development, eradicates tumor cells and synergizes with anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Challenges to the development of fucoidan as an anti-cancer agent will also be discussed.
Assuntos
Antineoplásicos Fitogênicos/farmacologia , Drogas em Investigação/farmacologia , Modelos Biológicos , Neoplasias/tratamento farmacológico , Polissacarídeos/farmacologia , Inibidores da Angiogênese/administração & dosagem , Inibidores da Angiogênese/efeitos adversos , Inibidores da Angiogênese/farmacologia , Inibidores da Angiogênese/uso terapêutico , Animais , Antineoplásicos Fitogênicos/administração & dosagem , Antineoplásicos Fitogênicos/efeitos adversos , Antineoplásicos Fitogênicos/uso terapêutico , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/administração & dosagem , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/efeitos adversos , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/farmacologia , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapêutico , Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Transformação Celular Neoplásica/efeitos dos fármacos , Transformação Celular Neoplásica/metabolismo , Avaliação Pré-Clínica de Medicamentos , Drogas em Investigação/administração & dosagem , Drogas em Investigação/efeitos adversos , Drogas em Investigação/uso terapêutico , Alimento Funcional/análise , Humanos , Sistema de Sinalização das MAP Quinases/efeitos dos fármacos , Metástase Neoplásica/prevenção & controle , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Neoplasias/patologia , Phaeophyceae/química , Polissacarídeos/administração & dosagem , Polissacarídeos/efeitos adversos , Polissacarídeos/uso terapêutico , Alga Marinha/químicaRESUMO
The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is threatened with extinction because of a contagious cancer known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease. The inability to mount an immune response and to reject these tumors might be caused by a lack of genetic diversity within a dwindling population. Here we report a whole-genome analysis of two animals originating from extreme northwest and southeast Tasmania, the maximal geographic spread, together with the genome from a tumor taken from one of them. A 3.3-Gb de novo assembly of the sequence data from two complementary next-generation sequencing platforms was used to identify 1 million polymorphic genomic positions, roughly one-quarter of the number observed between two genetically distant human genomes. Analysis of 14 complete mitochondrial genomes from current and museum specimens, as well as mitochondrial and nuclear SNP markers in 175 animals, suggests that the observed low genetic diversity in today's population preceded the Devil Facial Tumor Disease disease outbreak by at least 100 y. Using a genetically characterized breeding stock based on the genome sequence will enable preservation of the extant genetic diversity in future Tasmanian devil populations.
Assuntos
Variação Genética , Marsupiais/genética , Animais , Cruzamento , DNA Mitocondrial/genética , DNA de Neoplasias/genética , Extinção Biológica , Neoplasias Faciais/genética , Neoplasias Faciais/veterinária , Genética Populacional , Genoma Mitocondrial , Humanos , Modelos Moleculares , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Proteínas de Neoplasias/química , Proteínas de Neoplasias/genética , Neoplasias/genética , Neoplasias/veterinária , Filogenia , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único , Tasmânia , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
Proteomic studies to date have had limited use as an investigative tool in the skin's response to UV radiation. These studies used cell lines and reconstructed skin and have shown evidence of cell injury with oxidative damage and stress induced heat shock proteins. Others changes included altered cytokeratin and cytoskeletal proteins with enhanced expression of TRIM29 as the keratinocytes regenerate. The associated DNA repair requires polη, Rad18/Rad16 and Rev1. In the whole animal these events would be associated with inflammation, remodelling of the epidermis and modulation of the immune response. Longer term changes include ageing and skin cancers such as melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. In the future proteomics will be used to explore these important aspects of photobiology. Better characterisation of the proteins involved should lead to a greater understanding of the skin's response to UV radiation.
Assuntos
Carcinoma Basocelular/genética , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/genética , Queratinócitos/efeitos da radiação , Melanoma/genética , Proteoma/genética , Neoplasias Cutâneas/genética , Pele/efeitos da radiação , Carcinoma Basocelular/etiologia , Carcinoma Basocelular/metabolismo , Carcinoma Basocelular/patologia , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/etiologia , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/metabolismo , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/patologia , Proteínas do Citoesqueleto/genética , Proteínas do Citoesqueleto/metabolismo , Dano ao DNA , Reparo do DNA/efeitos da radiação , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , DNA Polimerase Dirigida por DNA/genética , DNA Polimerase Dirigida por DNA/metabolismo , Expressão Gênica/efeitos da radiação , Humanos , Queratinócitos/metabolismo , Queratinócitos/patologia , Melanoma/etiologia , Melanoma/metabolismo , Melanoma/patologia , Proteoma/metabolismo , Pele/metabolismo , Pele/patologia , Neoplasias Cutâneas/etiologia , Neoplasias Cutâneas/metabolismo , Neoplasias Cutâneas/patologia , Raios Ultravioleta/efeitos adversosRESUMO
One of the cornerstones of effective cancer treatment is early diagnosis. In this context, the identification of proteins that can serve as cancer biomarkers in bodily fluids ("liquid biopsies") has gained attention over the last decade. Plasma and serum fractions of blood are the most commonly investigated sources of potential cancer liquid biopsy biomarkers. However, the high complexity and dynamic range typical of these fluids hinders the sensitivity of protein detection by the most commonly used mass spectrometry technology (data-dependent acquisition mass spectrometry (DDA-MS)). Recently, data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) techniques have overcome the limitations of DDA-MS, increasing sensitivity and proteome coverage. In addition to DIA-MS, isolating extracellular vesicles (EVs) can help to increase the depth of serum/plasma proteome coverage by improving the identification of low-abundance proteins which are a potential treasure trove of diagnostic molecules. EVs, the nano-sized membrane-enclosed vesicles present in most bodily fluids, contain proteins which may serve as potential biomarkers for various cancers. Here, we describe a detailed protocol that combines DIA-MS and EV methodologies for discovering and validating early cancer biomarkers using blood serum. The pipeline includes size exclusion chromatography methods to isolate serum-derived extracellular vesicles and subsequent EV sample preparation for liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis. Procedures for spectral library generation by DDA-MS incorporate methods for off-line peptide separation by microflow HPLC with automated fraction concatenation. Analysis of the samples by DIA-MS includes recommended protocols for data processing and statistical methods. This pipeline will provide a guide to discovering and validating EV-associated proteins that can serve as sensitive and specific biomarkers for early cancer detection and other diseases.
Assuntos
Vesículas Extracelulares , Neoplasias , Humanos , Biomarcadores Tumorais/metabolismo , Proteômica/métodos , Proteoma/metabolismo , Espectrometria de Massas/métodos , Neoplasias/diagnóstico , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Vesículas Extracelulares/metabolismoRESUMO
MHC-I and MHC-II molecules are critical components of antigen presentation and T cell immunity to pathogens and cancer. The two monoclonal transmissible devil facial tumours (DFT1, DFT2) exploit MHC-I pathways to overcome immunological anti-tumour and allogeneic barriers. This exploitation underpins the ongoing transmission of DFT cells across the wild Tasmanian devil population. We have previously shown that the overexpression of NLRC5 in DFT1 and DFT2 cells can regulate components of the MHC-I pathway but not MHC-II, establishing the stable upregulation of MHC-I on the cell surface. As MHC-II molecules are crucial for CD4+ T cell activation, MHC-II expression in tumour cells is beginning to gain traction in the field of immunotherapy and cancer vaccines. The overexpression of Class II transactivator in transfected DFT1 and DFT2 cells induced the transcription of several genes of the MHC-I and MHC-II pathways. This was further supported by the upregulation of MHC-I protein on DFT1 and DFT2 cells, but interestingly MHC-II protein was upregulated only in DFT1 cells. This new insight into the regulation of MHC-I and MHC-II pathways in cells that naturally overcome allogeneic barriers can inform vaccine, immunotherapy and tissue transplant strategies for human and veterinary medicine.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Faciais , Marsupiais , Animais , Neoplasias Faciais/genética , Neoplasias Faciais/veterinária , Neoplasias Faciais/patologia , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade Classe II , Peptídeos e Proteínas de Sinalização Intracelular , Marsupiais/genéticaRESUMO
Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is a transmissible cancer that has circulated in the Tasmanian devil population for >25 years. Like other contagious cancers in dogs and devils, the way DFTD escapes the immune response of its host is a central question to understanding this disease. DFTD has a low major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) expression due to epigenetic modifications, preventing host immune recognition of mismatched MHC-I molecules by T cells. However, the total MHC-I loss should result in natural killer (NK) cell activation due to the 'missing self'. Here, we have investigated the expression of the nonclassical MHC-I, Saha-UD as a potential regulatory or suppressive mechanism for DFTD. A monoclonal antibody was generated against the devil Saha-UD that binds recombinant Saha-UD by Western blot, with limited crossreactivity to the classical MHC-I, Saha-UC and nonclassical Saha-UK. Using this antibody, we confirmed the expression of Saha-UD in 13 DFTD tumours by immunohistochemistry (n = 15) and demonstrated that Saha-UD expression is heterogeneous, with 12 tumours showing intratumour heterogeneity. Immunohistochemical staining for the Saha-UD showed distinct patterns of expression when compared with classical MHC-I molecules. The nonclassical Saha-UD expression by DFTD tumours in vivo may be a mechanism for immunosuppression, and further work is ongoing to characterise its ligand on immune cells.