Bats are known for their strong immune systems and impressive longevity. In fact, some species live 20 years or more in the wild. Unlike many long-lived species, however, cancer is a rare occurrence in bats. A new study published in Genome Biology and Evolution examined the link between immune function and cancer resistance in bats.

The team characterized the genome of Jamaican fruit bats (Artibeus jamaicensis) and Mesoamerican mustached bats (Pteronotus mesoamericanus) and compared their sequences to 13 other bat genomes. They found that genes related to immune function and cancer resistance evolved rapidly in bats. In addition, they found positive selection for six genes associated with repairing DNA as well as 46 genes associated with cancer, including 33 tumor suppressing genes. The cancer-related genes were also enriched more than twice that of mammals. These genetic variations are thought to be responsible for cancer resistance in bats and may inform new ways to target cancer treatments or prevention strategies in other mammals, including humans.

Source

A Scheben, OM Ramos, M Kramer, S Goodwin, S Openheim, DJ Becker, MC Schatz, NB Simmons, A Siepel, WR McCombie. Long-read sequencing reveals rapid evolution of immunity- and cancer-related genes in bats. Genome Biology and Evolution. 15(9): evad148, 2023.

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Categories: Aging, Comparative Physiology, Extreme Animals, Illnesses and Injuries, Nature's Solutions

Tags: bat, cancer, cancer resistance, genome, immune