Data from: Rapid evolutionary response to a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils

Although cancer rarely acts as an infectious disease, a recently emerged transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) is virtually 100% fatal. Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) has swept across nearly the entire species’ range, resulting in localized declines exceeding 90% and an overall species decline of more than 80% in less than 20 years. Despite epidemiological models that predict extinction, populations in long-diseased sites persist. Here we report rare genomic evidence of a rapid, parallel evolutionary response to strong selection imposed by a wildlife disease. We identify two genomic regions that contain genes related to immune function or cancer risk in humans that exhibit concordant signatures of selection across three populations. DFTD spreads between hosts by suppressing and evading the immune system, and our results suggest that hosts are evolving immune-modulated resistance that could aid in species persistence in the face of this devastating disease.

尽管癌症极少呈现出传染病的特征，但近期在袋獾（Sarcophilus harrisii）中发现的可传播癌症几乎100%致死。袋獾面部肿瘤病（Devil facial tumour disease, DFTD）已席卷该物种的几乎全部分布范围，造成局部种群数量下降超90%，并在不到20年的时间里使该物种种群整体数量减少逾80%。尽管流行病学模型预测该物种将走向灭绝，但长期受该疾病侵扰的栖息地中的种群仍得以存续。本研究报道了罕见的基因组学证据，揭示了在该野生动物疾病施加的强选择压力下，种群产生的快速平行进化响应。我们在三个种群中均鉴定出两个基因组区域，这些区域包含与人类免疫功能或癌症风险相关的基因，且在这三个种群中均呈现出一致的选择信号。DFTD通过抑制并逃避免疫系统实现宿主间传播，本研究结果表明，宿主正进化出免疫调控型抗性，这或有助于该物种在这种毁灭性疾病的威胁下实现存续。