Science says large, living species should be at higher risks for developing cancer. The rationale is that tumors grow when genetic mutations cause cells to reproduce too quickly and uncontrollably. Thus, creatures with a long life give cancer more chances to go around.
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If larger species have more cells that are more susceptible to mutations, why is it that cancer rarely causes elephants?
Elephants: The largest pachyderms
A new study looks into the mystery of an elephant that has extra replicas of several genes associated with tumor translocation.
But this phenomenon does not apply to elephants. Researchers in their study, published in eLifeScience, concluded that a double-stranded tumor suppressor gene is common among all elephant relatives, living and extinct; even the smaller ones like Cape yellow moles and elephant shingle.
Researchers suggest that tumor suppression capabilities coincided with the evolution of large body species to enable development.
Vincent Lynch, co – author and associate professor at UB College of Arts and Sciences, says, “One of the expectations is that, as you get a really big body, your cancer load should increase as it has more cells. things with large bodies – not true across sex – long – term paradoxes in evolutionary medicine and cancer biology – show that evolution has found a way to reduce cancer risks. “
The study examines how elephants and their living and extinct relatives became resistant to cancer. Their research focuses on TP53, a well-known tumor suppressor. For this study, researchers focused on whether elephant genomes contain more copies of tumor suppressors than expected whether or not it is a common movement among the species or specific to one. gine.
The researchers found that elephants have extra copies of tumor suppressor genes that contribute to the fight against cancer.
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Better protection for elephants
Despite the fact that many elephant relatives receive additional copies of tumor suppressor genes, scientists have found that elephant genomes have specific duplicates that contribute to tumor suppression through genes involved in DNA repair, cell growth, resistance to oxidative stress, age, and death.
Juan Vasquez, co-author and postdoctoral researcher from UC Berkely, says, “by demonstrating how large, long-lived species have developed better ways to curb cancer, we can learn something new about how evolution works and hopefully find ways to use that knowledge to inspire new cancer treatments. “
How did Giant Sloths and Mega-Armadillos get so big?
Elephants became central to the study for cancer-resistant evolution because the species belongs to a group of small-bodied mammals: the Afrotherians.
Researchers were looking for additional copies of the tumor suppressor gene in the DNA of African, Asian and African forest elephants, and a number of following Afrotherians such as elephant shrews, Cape golden moles, rock hyraxes, woolly mammals extinct , manatees, extinct mastodons, and more.
The team also studied mammals from the Xenarthra group and also found additional copies of tumor suppressors in animal genomes.
The researchers found that extra copies of tumor suppressor genes were found in this group of organs. Long ago there were mega-armadillos, huge sloths, and a Steller sea cow that grew to the size of an elephant. The extra copies of the tumor suppressor may have helped change the species to such a large size.
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