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.