Ship Clones: Characterization and search for biomarker of marine transmissible cancers

Project Information

Ship Clones

Grant agreement ID: 101066116

DOI

10.3030/101066116

Project closed

EC signature date 20 July 2022

Start date 1 September 2022

End date 31 August 2024

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 156 778,56

Coordinated by

UNIVERSIDADE DE AVEIRO
Portugal

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Ship Clones (Ship Clones: Characterization and search for biomarker of marine transmissible cancers)

Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Clonally transmissible cancers are cell clones that are transmitted between individuals via the transfer of living cancer cells. There are only three known types of naturally occurring clonally transmissible cancers, one of which is a disseminated neoplasia (DN) found in marine bivalves.
DN is a leukemia-like cancer characterized by the proliferation of hypertrophied cells. In later stages of the disease, these cells spread throughout all tissues destroying their normal architecture and causing the death of their host organism.

A polyphyletic origin of the DN has been detected in the common cockle Cerastoderma edule. DN has appeared on two different occasions and both clones currently known coexist in cockle populations of the European Atlantic coast. In this project, molecular biomarkers will be used to screen transmissible cancers and help to better understand their biological systems.

Marine transmissible cancers are interesting biological models to better understand cancer transmissibility and metastasis. Marine clones likely ship using ocean currents to colonize new hosts in different regions. It is likely that they may also be unintentionally introduced by the action of man in disease-free regions. Hence, these cancers represent a potential threat for marine ecosystems, as they negatively impact keystone species bivalves, that also have important socio-economic value for fisheries. As such, it is paramount to successfully identify, monitor and characterize the prevalence of clonal DN in marine bivalves, before any successful prevention and mitigation actions can be applied.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The list of main achievements of the Ship Clones project:
• Determined the prevalence of disseminated neoplasia in a spatiotemporal context in the Ría de Aveiro.
• Identified the transmissible cancer lineages present in the Ría de Aveiro.
• Assessed the impact of transmissible cancer lineages according to host sex.
• Established the survival limits of transmissible cancers under salinity conditions.
• Developed a molecular tool for rapid detection and differentiation of transmissible cancer lineages in cockles.
• Developed a molecular tool to quantify the intensity of different transmissible cancer lineages in various cockle tissues.
• Developed a tool for the detection of transmissible cancers in the marine environment through e-DNA.
Publications currently in preparation

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project has revealed that disseminated neoplasia affects all four channels of the Ría de Aveiro, with prevalence rates ranging from 8–23%, and remains present throughout the year. Moreover, it has confirmed the presence of both lineages of transmissible cancers previously described in the species, contrary to earlier reports that identified only one lineage. No significant differences were observed in the prevalence of each lineage based on the sex of the host.
Through the Ship Clones project, a TaqMan qPCR assay has been developed, allowing for the simultaneous diagnosis of both lineages of transmissible cancers. This innovative tool also enables the quantification of tissue infection levels by these cancers, a process that was previously only achievable in hemolymph through cell counting. Additionally, the qPCR has proven effective in detecting transmissible cancers in water samples and organic fractions during laboratory experiments, as well as in sediment from areas inhabited by affected cockle populations.
Ship Clones has provided a groundbreaking diagnostic tool that enhances our understanding of transmissible cancers and their environmental dynamics, offering new opportunities for monitoring and managing affected ecosystems.

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