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

Información del proyecto

Ship Clones

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: 101066116

DOI

10.3030/101066116

Proyecto cerrado

Fecha de la firma de la CE 20 Julio 2022

Fecha de inicio 1 Septiembre 2022

Fecha de finalización 31 Agosto 2024

Financiado con arreglo a

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Coste total

Sin datos

Aportación de la UE

€ 156 778,56

Coordinado por

UNIVERSIDADE DE AVEIRO
Portugal

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

Período documentado: 2022-09-01 hasta 2024-08-31

Resumen del contexto y de los objetivos generales del proyecto

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.

Trabajo realizado desde el comienzo del proyecto hasta el final del período abarcado por el informe y los principales resultados hasta la fecha

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

Avances que van más allá del estado de la técnica e impacto potencial esperado (incluida la repercusión socioeconómica y las implicaciones sociales más amplias del proyecto hasta la fecha)

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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