title: Genomic insights into a contagious cancer in Tasmanian devils.
abstract: The Tasmanian devil faces extinction due to a contagious cancer. Genetic and genomic technologies revealed that the disease arose in a Schwann cell of a female devil. Instead of dying with the original host, the tumour was passed from animal to animal, slipping under the radar of the immune system. Studying the genomes of the devil and the cancer has driven our understanding of this unique disease. From characterising immune genes and immune responses to studying tumour evolution, we have begun to uncover how a cancer can be 'caught' and are using genomic data to manage an insurance population of disease-free devils for the long-term survival of the species.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; San Diego Zoo Global, PO Box 120551, San Diego, CA, 92112, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Grueber
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peel
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gooley
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address: kathy.belov@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Belov
mesh_terms: D000820:Animal Diseases; D000818:Animals; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D005260:Female; D016678:Genome; D008394:Marsupialia / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000473:pathology
keywords: DFTD; MHC; Tasmanian devil; cancer; conservation; genomics