Transcriptomics of mussel transmissible cancer MtrBTN2 reveals accumulation of multiple cancerous traits and oncogenic pathways shared among bilaterians
Abstract
Abstract Transmissible cancer cell lines are rare biological entities giving rise to diseases at the crossroads of cancer and parasitic diseases. These malignant cells have acquired the amazing capacity to spread from host to host. They have been described only in dogs, Tasmanian devils and marine bivalves. The Mytilus trossulus Bivalve Transmissible Neoplasia 2 (MtrBTN2) lineage has even acquired the capacity to spread inter-specifically between marine mussels of the Mytilus edulis complex worldwide. To identify the oncogenic processes underpinning the biology of these atypical cancers we performed transcriptomics of MtrBTN2 cells. Differential gene expression, enrichment, protein-protein interaction network, and targeted analyses were used. Overall, our results suggests that the long-term evolution of MtrBTN2 has led to the accumulation of multiple cancerous traits. We also highlight that vertebrate and lophotrochozoan cancers share a large panel of common drivers, which supports the hypothesis of an ancient origin of oncogenic processes in bilaterians. Teaser Mussel transmissible cancers teach us that cancerous process has a remote origin and that their long-term evolution has made them super-cancers.