Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27575253›Full record

ArticleNature communications2016

Rapid evolutionary response to a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils.

Brendan Epstein, Menna Jones, Rodrigo Hamede, Sarah Hendricks, Hamish McCallum, Elizabeth P Murchison, Barbara Schönfeld, Cody Wiench, Paul Hohenlohe, Andrew Storfer

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 100 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
100citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

100 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Drivers of the likelihood of evolutionary rescue in response to novel infectious diseases.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
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  19. Intergenomic signatures of coevolution between Tasmanian devils and an infectious cancer.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024
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40 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Brendan EpsteinSchool of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-4236, USA.
Menna JonesSchool of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 5, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
Rodrigo HamedeSchool of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 5, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
Sarah HendricksDepartment of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, Idaho 83844-3051, USA.
Hamish McCallumSchool of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.
Elizabeth P MurchisonDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK.
Barbara SchönfeldSchool of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 5, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
Cody WienchDepartment of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, Idaho 83844-3051, USA.
Paul HohenloheDepartment of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, Idaho 83844-3051, USA.
Andrew StorferSchool of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-4236, USA.

Funding

Genomics Resources Core (GRC)P30GM103324 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO · PI SETTLES, MATTHEW · 2013 to 2017
$5.0M
NIGMS NIH HHS P30 GM103324
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

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.

Indexed as

Biological EvolutionAnimalsCommunicable Diseases, EmergingDisease ResistanceEndangered SpeciesExtinction, BiologicalFacial NeoplasmsGenomicsGenotyping TechniquesMarsupialiaPopulation DynamicsTasmaniaTime Factors

Identifiers

PMID27575253
PMCPMC5013612

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.