Differentially expressed growth factors and cytokines drive phenotypic changes in transmissible cancers.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The Tasmanian devil is threatened by two deadly transmissible Schwann cell cancers. A vaccine to protect Tasmanian devils from both devil facial tumour 1 (DFT1) and devil facial tumour 2 (DFT2), and improved understanding of the cancer cell biology, could support improved conservation actions.

Methods

Previous transcriptomic analysis has implicated phenotypic cellular plasticity as a potential immune escape and survival mechanism of DFT1 cells. This phenotypic plasticity facilitates transition from a myelinating Schwann cell to a repair Schwann cell phenotype that exhibits mesenchymal characteristics. Here, we have identified cytokines and growth factors differentially expressed across DFT cell phenotypes and investigated their role in driving phenotypic plastic

SUBMITTER: Maskell KG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12314367 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature