A tale of two tumours: Comparison of the immune escape strategies of contagious cancers

• DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2012.10.017
• Publication Date: 2012-11-30T13:08:54Z
• Authors: Hannah V. Siddle; Jim Kaufman
• Keywords: Evasion (ethics)

The adaptive immune system should prevent cancer cells passing from one individual to another, in much the same way that it protects against pathogens. However, rare cases do not die within a single individual, but successfully pass between individuals, escaping response and becoming contagious cancer. There are two naturally occurring cancers, Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), found Tasmanian devils, Canine Transmissible Venereal (CTVT), dogs. Despite sharing an ability as allografts, these cancers have very different impact on their hosts. While DFTD causes 100% mortality among infected devils has had devastating devil population, CTVT co-exists with its host manner does usually cause death of dog. Although evasion strategies for been defined, why is rejected allograft understood. We made progress revealing mechanisms both vitro vivo, here we compare how interact respective hosts avoid rejection. Our findings highlight factors may be important evolution more generally. Perhaps most importantly, this work opened up areas future research, including effect epigenetic escape basis vaccine strategy protect DFTD.