posted on 2023-05-19, 21:00authored byCaldwell, A, Coleby, R, Cesar Tovar LopezCesar Tovar Lopez, Stammnitz, MR, Kwon, YM, Owen, RS, Tringides, M, Murchison, EP, Skjodt, K, Thomas, GJ, Kaufman, J, Elliott, T, Gregory WoodsGregory Woods, Siddle, HVT
Devil Facial Tumour 2 (DFT2) is a recently discovered contagious cancer circulating in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), a species which already harbours a more widespread contagious cancer, Devil Facial Tumour 1 (DFT1). Here we show that in contrast to DFT1, DFT2 cells express major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, demonstrating that loss of MHC is not necessary for the emergence of a contagious cancer. However, the most highly expressed MHC class I alleles in DFT2 cells are common among host devils or non-polymorphic, reducing immunogenicity in a population sharing these alleles. In parallel, MHC class I loss is emerging in vivo, thus DFT2 may be mimicking the evolutionary trajectory of DFT1. Based on these results we propose that contagious cancers may exploit partial histocompatibility between the tumour and host, but that loss of allogeneic antigens could facilitate widespread transmission of DFT2.
History
Publication title
Elife
Volume
7
Article number
e35314
Number
e35314
Pagination
1-18
ISSN
2050-084X
Department/School
Menzies Institute for Medical Research
Publisher
eLife Sciences Publications Ltd.
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Rights statement
Copyright 2018 Caldwell et al. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/