Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is a transmissable cancer that affects Tasmanian devils and has substantially depleted their population, rasing concern that the species faces extinction. However, a new study offers some hope. Epstein et al. report that three populations of Tasmanian devil are exhibiting immune-modulated resistance to DFTD owing to modifications in certain genomic regions that may overcome immune suppression (which is how DFTD spreads between individuals). The selective pressure imposed by DFTD may therefore be encouraging its own undoing.
References
Epstein, B. et al. Rapid evolutionary response to a transmissable cancer in Tasmanian devils. Nat. Commun. 7, 12684 (2016)
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Alderton, G. Evolving resistance in Tasmanian devils. Nat Rev Cancer 16, 617 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc.2016.103
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc.2016.103