Preprint / Version 1

Mechanisms of Cancer Resistance Across Mammals

##article.authors##

  • Amari Anderson N/A

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.499

Keywords:

cancer, resistance, mammals

Abstract

Cancer is a complex disease that threatens the health of a broad range of species. Despite the fact that cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, there are a number of species that are remarkably resistant to cancer, including the elephant, naked mole rat, blind mole rat, whale, horse, cow, and microbat. These animals exhibit a natural resistance to cancer through various mechanisms, including enhanced DNA repair, hypersensitivity to genotoxic stress, resistance to metastatic invasion, and duplicate copies of tumor suppressor genes. These mechanisms can provide insight into preventing, as well as treating, cancer in less resistant species. This paper reviews potential mechanisms for cancer resistance across a variety of mammals and provides insight as to why some mammals are more resistant to cancer than others. 

References

Cancer. World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer. Accessed 30 Aug. 2023.

“How to Prevent Cancer.” American Institute for Cancer Research, https://www.aicr.org/cancer-prevention/how-to-prevent-cancer/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2023.

Chadwick, Lisa H. “Telomere.” Genome.gov, https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Telomere. Accessed 30 Aug. 2023.

Seluanov, Andrei, et al. “Telomerase Activity Coevolves with Body Mass Not Lifespan.” Aging Cell, vol. 6, no. 1, Feb. 2007, pp. 45–52, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-9726.2006.00262.x.

Seluanov, Andrei, et al. “Mechanisms of Cancer Resistance in Long-Lived Mammals.” Nature Reviews. Cancer, vol. 18, no. 7, July 2018, pp. 433–41, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-018-0004-9.

Gonzalez, Carlos A., and Elio Riboli. “Diet and Cancer Prevention: Contributions from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study.” European Journal of Cancer, vol. 46, no. 14, Sept. 2010, pp. 2555–62, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2010.07.025.

Key, Timothy J., et al. “Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer.” Public Health Nutrition, vol. 7, no. 1A, Feb. 2004, pp. 187–200, https://doi.org/10.1079/phn2003588.

Vincze, Orsolya, et al. “Cancer Risk across Mammals.” Nature, vol. 601, no. 7892, Jan. 2022, pp. 263–67, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04224-5.

Anisimov, Vladimir N., et al. “Cancer in Rodents: Does It Tell Us about Cancer in Humans?” Nature Reviews. Cancer, vol. 5, no. 10, Oct. 2005, pp. 807–19, https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc1715.

Shoshani, Jeheskel. “Proboscidea (Elephants).” eLS, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 25 July 2001, https://doi.org/10.1038/npg.els.0001575.

Clubb, Ros, et al. “Compromised Survivorship in Zoo Elephants.” Science, vol. 322, no. 5908, Dec. 2008, p. 1649, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1164298.

Tollis, Marc, et al. “Elephant Genomes Reveal Accelerated Evolution in Mechanisms Underlying Disease Defenses.” Molecular Biology and Evolution, vol. 38, no. 9, Aug. 2021, pp. 3606–20, https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msab127.

Boddy, Amy M., et al. “Lifetime Cancer Prevalence and Life History Traits in Mammals.” Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, vol. 2020, no. 1, May 2020, pp. 187–95, https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoaa015.

Landolfi, Jennifer A., et al. “Reproductive Tract Neoplasia in Adult Female Asian Elephants (Elephas Maximus).” Veterinary Pathology, vol. 58, no. 6, Nov. 2021, pp. 1131–41, https://doi.org/10.1177/03009858211031843.

Montali, R.J., et al. Ultrasonography and Pathology of Genital Tract Leiomymoas in Captive Asian Elephants: Implications for Reproductive Soundness. https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/6159/1e76ac5f-81ac-48f9-a0e2-6e098f1f5337.pdf. Accessed 30 Aug. 2023.

Abegglen, Lisa M., et al. “Potential Mechanisms for Cancer Resistance in Elephants and Comparative Cellular Response to DNA Damage in Humans.” JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 314, no. 17, Nov. 2015, pp. 1850–60, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.13134.

Hanahan, Douglas, and Robert A. Weinberg. “Hallmarks of Cancer: The next Generation.” Cell, vol. 144, no. 5, Mar. 2011, pp. 646–74, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2011.02.013.

Sulak, Michael, et al. “TP53 Copy Number Expansion Is Associated with the Evolution of Increased Body Size and an Enhanced DNA Damage Response in Elephants.” eLife, vol. 5, Sept. 2016, https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.11994.

Tyner, Stuart D., et al. “p53 Mutant Mice That Display Early Ageing-Associated Phenotypes.” Nature, vol. 415, no. 6867, Jan. 2002, pp. 45–53, https://doi.org/10.1038/415045a.

Maier, Bernhard, et al. “Modulation of Mammalian Life Span by the Short Isoform of p53.” Genes & Development, vol. 18, no. 3, Feb. 2004, pp. 306–19, https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.1162404.

García-Cao, Isabel, et al. “‘Super p53’ Mice Exhibit Enhanced DNA Damage Response, Are Tumor Resistant and Age Normally.” The EMBO Journal, vol. 21, no. 22, Nov. 2002, pp. 6225–35, https://doi.org/10.1093/emboj/cdf595.

Buffenstein, Rochelle, et al. “Naked Mole Rat.” The Laboratory Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Hamster, and Other Rodents, 2012, p. 1055, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-380920-9.00045-6.

Buffenstein, Rochelle. “Negligible Senescence in the Longest Living Rodent, the Naked Mole-Rat: Insights from a Successfully Aging Species.” Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology, vol. 178, no. 4, May 2008, pp. 439–45, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-007-0237-5.

Delaney, M. A., et al. “Spontaneous Histologic Lesions of the Adult Naked Mole Rat (Heterocephalus Glaber): A Retrospective Survey of Lesions in a Zoo Population.” Veterinary Pathology, vol. 50, no. 4, July 2013, pp. 607–21, https://doi.org/10.1177/0300985812471543.

Delaney, M. A., et al. “Initial Case Reports of Cancer in Naked Mole-Rats (Heterocephalus Glaber).” Veterinary Pathology, vol. 53, no. 3, May 2016, pp. 691–96, https://doi.org/10.1177/0300985816630796.

Seluanov, Andrei, et al. “Hypersensitivity to Contact Inhibition Provides a Clue to Cancer Resistance of Naked Mole-Rat.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 106, no. 46, Nov. 2009, pp. 19352–57, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0905252106.

Liang, Sitai, et al. “Resistance to Experimental Tumorigenesis in Cells of a Long-Lived Mammal, the Naked Mole-Rat (Heterocephalus Glaber).” Aging Cell, vol. 9, no. 4, Aug. 2010, pp. 626–35, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-9726.2010.00588.x.

Manov, Irena, et al. “Pronounced Cancer Resistance in a Subterranean Rodent, the Blind Mole-Rat, Spalax: In Vivo and in Vitro Evidence.” BMC Biology, vol. 11, Aug. 2013, p. 91, https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-11-91.

Seluanov, Andrei, et al. “Distinct Tumor Suppressor Mechanisms Evolve in Rodent Species That Differ in Size and Lifespan.” Aging Cell, vol. 7, no. 6, Dec. 2008, pp. 813–23, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-9726.2008.00431.x.

Tian, Xiao, et al. “High-Molecular-Mass Hyaluronan Mediates the Cancer Resistance of the Naked Mole Rat.” Nature, vol. 499, no. 7458, July 2013, pp. 346–49, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12234.

Miyawaki, Shingo, et al. “Tumour Resistance in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Derived from Naked Mole-Rats.” Nature Communications, vol. 7, May 2016, p. 11471, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11471.

López-Otín, Carlos, et al. “The Hallmarks of Aging.” Cell, vol. 153, no. 6, June 2013, pp. 1194–217, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2013.05.039.

O’Connor, Timothy P., et al. “Prolonged Longevity in Naked Mole-Rats: Age-Related Changes in Metabolism, Body Composition and Gastrointestinal Function.” Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology, vol. 133, no. 3, Nov. 2002, pp. 835–42, https://doi.org/10.1016/s1095-6433(02)00198-8.

Azpurua, Jorge, et al. “Naked Mole-Rat Has Increased Translational Fidelity Compared with the Mouse, as Well as a Unique 28S Ribosomal RNA Cleavage.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 110, no. 43, Oct. 2013, pp. 17350–55, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1313473110.

Park, Thomas J., et al. “Fructose-Driven Glycolysis Supports Anoxia Resistance in the Naked Mole-Rat.” Science, vol. 356, no. 6335, Apr. 2017, pp. 307–11, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab3896.

Liu, Haibo, et al. “Fructose Induces Transketolase Flux to Promote Pancreatic Cancer Growth.” Cancer Research, vol. 70, no. 15, Aug. 2010, pp. 6368–76, https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-09-4615.

Edrey, Yael H., et al. “Sustained High Levels of Neuregulin-1 in the Longest-Lived Rodents; a Key Determinant of Rodent Longevity.” Aging Cell, vol. 11, no. 2, Apr. 2012, pp. 213–22, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-9726.2011.00772.x.

Gorbunova, Vera, et al. “Cancer Resistance in the Blind Mole Rat Is Mediated by Concerted Necrotic Cell Death Mechanism.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 109, no. 47, Nov. 2012, pp. 19392–96, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1217211109.

D’Arcy, Mark S. “Cell Death: A Review of the Major Forms of Apoptosis, Necrosis and Autophagy.” Cell Biology International, vol. 43, no. 6, June 2019, pp. 582–92, https://doi.org/10.1002/cbin.11137.

Ashur-Fabian, Osnat, et al. “Evolution of p53 in Hypoxia-Stressed Spalax Mimics Human Tumor Mutation.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 101, no. 33, Aug. 2004, pp. 12236–41, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0404998101.

Fang, Xiaodong, et al. “Genome-Wide Adaptive Complexes to Underground Stresses in Blind Mole Rats Spalax.” Nature Communications, vol. 5, June 2014, p. 3966, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4966.

Nasser, Nicola J., et al. “Alternatively Spliced Spalax Heparanase Inhibits Extracellular Matrix Degradation, Tumor Growth, and Metastasis.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 106, no. 7, Feb. 2009, pp. 2253–58, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0812846106.

Fisheries, Noaa. “Bowhead Whale.” NOAA Fisheries, 8 Mar. 2023, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/bowhead-whale.

Keane, Michael, et al. “Insights into the Evolution of Longevity from the Bowhead Whale Genome.” Cell Reports, vol. 10, no. 1, Jan. 2015, pp. 112–22, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2014.12.008.

“Death Receptor Pathway.” Thermo Fisher Scientific, https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/antibodies/antibodies-learning-center/antibodies-resource-library/cell-signaling-pathways/apoptosis-death-receptors.html. Accessed 30 Aug. 2023.

Tollis, Marc, et al. “Return to the Sea, Get Huge, Beat Cancer: An Analysis of Cetacean Genomes Including an Assembly for the Humpback Whale (Megaptera Novaeangliae).” Molecular Biology and Evolution, vol. 36, no. 8, Aug. 2019, pp. 1746–63, https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msz099.

Seim, Inge, et al. “The Transcriptome of the Bowhead Whale Balaena Mysticetus Reveals Adaptations of the Longest-Lived Mammal.” Aging, vol. 6, no. 10, Oct. 2014, pp. 879–99, https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.100699.

D’Souza, Alaric W. and Günter P. Wagner “Malignant Cancer and Invasive placentation A Case for Positive Pleiotropy between Endometrial and Malignancy Phenotypes.” Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, vol. 2014, no. 1, Jan. 2014, pp. 136–45, https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eou022.

Moffett, Ashley, and Charlie Loke. “Immunology of Placentation in Eutherian Mammals.” Nature Reviews. Immunology, vol. 6, no. 8, Aug. 2006, pp. 584–94, https://doi.org/10.1038/nri1897.

Graham, Charles H., and Peeyush K. Lala. “Mechanisms of Placental Invasion of the Uterus and Their Control.” Biochemistry and Cell Biology = Biochimie et Biologie Cellulaire, Jan. 2011, https://doi.org/10.1139/o92-135.

Kshitiz, et al. “Evolution of Placental Invasion and Cancer Metastasis Are Causally Linked.” Nature Ecology & Evolution, vol. 3, no. 12, Dec. 2019, pp. 1743–53, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-1046-4.

Ramos, Adriano Tony, et al. “Tumores em animais de produção: aspectos comparativos.” Ciencia rural , vol. 38, no. 1, Feb. 2008, pp. 148–54, https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-84782008000100024.

Anderson, L. J., and A. T. Sandison. “Tumours of Connective Tissues in Cattle, Sheep and Pigs.” The Journal of Pathology, vol. 98, no. 4, Aug. 1969, pp. 253–63, https://doi.org/10.1002/path.1710980405.

Cotchin, E. “A General Survey of Tumours in the Horse.” Equine Veterinary Journal, vol. 9, no. 1, Jan. 1977, pp. 16–21, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1977.tb03964.x.

Ogłuszka, Magdalena, et al. “Equine Sarcoids-Causes, Molecular Changes, and Clinicopathologic Features: A Review.” Veterinary Pathology, vol. 58, no. 3, May 2021, pp. 472–82, https://doi.org/10.1177/0300985820985114.

Middleton, D. J., et al. “Experimental Nipah Virus Infection in Pteropid Bats (Pteropus Poliocephalus).” Journal of Comparative Pathology, vol. 136, no. 4, May 2007, pp. 266–72, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcpa.2007.03.002.

Olds, June E., et al. “RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF CASES OF NEOPLASIA IN A CAPTIVE POPULATION OF EGYPTIAN FRUIT BATS (ROUSETTUS AEGYPTIACUS).” Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine: Official Publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, vol. 46, no. 2, June 2015, pp. 325–32, https://doi.org/10.1638/2014-0069R2.1.

Seim, Inge, et al. “Genome Analysis Reveals Insights into Physiology and Longevity of the Brandt’s Bat Myotis Brandtii.” Nature Communications, vol. 4, 2013, p. 2212, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms3212.

Ricci, Marco, et al. “Comparative Analysis of Bats and Rodents’ Genomes Suggests a Relation between Non-LTR Retrotransposons, Cancer Incidence, and Ageing.” Scientific Reports, vol. 13, no. 1, June 2023, p. 9039, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36006-6.

Callinan, P. A., and M. A. Batzer. “Retrotransposable Elements and Human Disease.” Genome Dynamics, vol. 1, 2006, pp. 104–15, https://doi.org/10.1159/000092503.

Lambert, Matthew J., and Christine V. Portfors. “Adaptive Sequence Convergence of the Tumor Suppressor ADAMTS9 between Small-Bodied Mammals Displaying Exceptional Longevity.” Aging, vol. 9, no. 2, Feb. 2017, pp. 573–82, https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.101180.

Croco, Eleonora, et al. “DNA Damage Detection by 53BP1: Relationship to Species Longevity.” The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, vol. 72, no. 6, June 2017, pp. 763–70, https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glw170.

Zhang, Guojie, et al. “Comparative Analysis of Bat Genomes Provides Insight into the Evolution of Flight and Immunity.” Science, vol. 339, no. 6118, Jan. 2013, pp. 456–60, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1230835.

Foley, Nicole M., et al. “Growing Old, yet Staying Young: The Role of Telomeres in Bats’ Exceptional Longevity.” Science Advances, vol. 4, no. 2, Feb. 2018, p. eaao0926, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aao0926.

Harper, James M., et al. “Skin-Derived Fibroblasts from Long-Lived Species Are Resistant to Some, but Not All, Lethal Stresses and to the Mitochondrial Inhibitor Rotenone.” Aging Cell, vol. 6, no. 1, Feb. 2007, pp. 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-9726.2006.00255.x.

Khaidakov, Magomed, et al. “Direct Repeats in Mitochondrial DNA and Mammalian Lifespan.” Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, vol. 127, no. 10, Oct. 2006, pp. 808–12, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mad.2006.07.008.

Huang, Zixia, et al. “Blood miRNomes and Transcriptomes Reveal Novel Longevity Mechanisms in the Long-Lived Bat, Myotis Myotis.” BMC Genomics, vol. 17, no. 1, Nov. 2016, p. 906, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-016-3227-8.

Scheben, Armin, et al. “Long-Read Sequencing Reveals Rapid Evolution of Immunity- and Cancer-Related Genes in Bats.” bioRxiv, 19 Aug. 2021, p. 2020.09.09.290502, https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.09.09.290502.

Shen, Yong-Yi, et al. “Adaptive Evolution of Energy Metabolism Genes and the Origin of Flight in Bats.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 107, no. 19, May 2010, pp. 8666–71, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0912613107.

Pride, Harrison, et al. “Long-Lived Species Have Improved Proteostasis Compared to Phylogenetically-Related Shorter-Lived Species.” Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, vol. 457, no. 4, Feb. 2015, pp. 669–75, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2015.01.046.

Salmon, Adam B., et al. “The Long Lifespan of Two Bat Species Is Correlated with Resistance to Protein Oxidation and Enhanced Protein Homeostasis.” FASEB Journal: Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, vol. 23, no. 7, July 2009, pp. 2317–26, https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.08-122523.

Wilkinson, Gerald S., and Jason M. South. “Life History, Ecology and Longevity in Bats.” Aging Cell, vol. 1, no. 2, Dec. 2002, pp. 124–31, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1474-9728.2002.00020.x.

“Understanding What Cancer Is: Ancient Times to Present.” American Cancer Society, https://www.cancer.org/cancer/understanding-cancer/history-of-cancer/what-is-cancer.html. Accessed 30 Aug. 2023.

“Involving Animals in Research.” Cancer Research UK, 15 Dec. 2016, https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/our-research/involving-animals-in-research.

“Animal Testing Significantly Advances Cancer Research.” Pharma Models, 13 May 2014, https://www.pharmamodels.net/blog/animal-testing-significantly-advances-cancer-research/.

de Magalhães, João Pedro. “The Big, the Bad and the Ugly: Extreme Animals as Inspiration for Biomedical Research.” EMBO Reports, vol. 16, no. 7, July 2015, pp. 771–76, https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.201540606.

Detanico, Flora Bittencourt. “Biomimicry: Human Creation Inspired By Nature.” New Acropolis Library, 18 May 2015, https://library.acropolis.org/biomimicry-human-creation-inspired-by-nature/.

Cavalcante, Giovanna C., et al. “Mitochondria in Tumour Progression: A Network of mtDNA Variants in Different Types of Cancer.” BMC Genetics, vol. 23, no. 1, Springer Nature, Feb. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-022-01032-2.

Downloads

Posted

2023-09-23