The Tasmanian devil transcriptome reveals Schwann cell origins of a clonally transmissible cancer.

Abstract	The Tasmanian devil, a marsupial carnivore, is endangered because of the emergence of a transmissible cancer known as devil facial tumor disease (DFTD). This fatal cancer is clonally derived and is an allograft transmitted between devils by biting. We performed a large-scale genetic analysis of DFTD with microsatellite genotyping, a mitochondrial genome analysis, and deep sequencing of the DFTD transcriptome and microRNAs. These studies confirm that DFTD is a monophyletic clonally transmissible tumor and suggest that the disease is of Schwann cell origin. On the basis of these results, we have generated a diagnostic marker for DFTD and identify a suite of genes relevant to DFTD pathology and transmission. We provide a genomic data set for the Tasmanian devil that is applicable to cancer diagnosis, disease evolution, and conservation biology.
Authors	Elizabeth P Murchison, Cesar Tovar, Arthur Hsu, Hannah S Bender, Pouya Kheradpour, Clare A Rebbeck, David Obendorf, Carly Conlan, Melanie Bahlo, Catherine A Blizzard, Stephen Pyecroft, Alexandre Kreiss, Manolis Kellis, Alexander Stark, Timothy T Harkins, Jennifer A Marshall Graves, Gregory M Woods, Gregory J Hannon, Anthony T Papenfuss
Journal	Science (New York, N.Y.) (Science) Vol. 327 Issue 5961 Pg. 84-7 (Jan 01 2010) ISSN: 1095-9203 [Electronic] United States
PMID	20044575 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References	Biomarkers, Tumor Membrane Proteins MicroRNAs Myelin Basic Protein periaxin
Topics	Animals Biomarkers, Tumor (analysis) Bites and Stings (veterinary) Cell Differentiation Facial Neoplasms (diagnosis, genetics, pathology, veterinary) Gene Expression Profiling Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic Genes, Neoplasm Genome, Mitochondrial Genotype Marsupialia (genetics) Membrane Proteins (genetics, metabolism) MicroRNAs (genetics) Microsatellite Repeats Myelin Basic Protein (genetics) Nerve Sheath Neoplasms (diagnosis, genetics, pathology, veterinary) Schwann Cells (physiology) Sequence Analysis, DNA

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