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Blackburn NB, Leandro AC, Nahvi N, Devlin MA, Leandro M, Martinez Escobedo I, Peralta JM, George J, Stacy BA, deMaar TW, Blangero J, Keniry M, Curran JE. Transcriptomic Profiling of Fibropapillomatosis in Green Sea Turtles ( Chelonia mydas) From South Texas. Front Immunol 2021; 12:630988. [PMID: 33717164 PMCID: PMC7943941 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.630988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Sea turtle fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a tumor promoting disease that is one of several threats globally to endangered sea turtle populations. The prevalence of FP is highest in green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) populations, and historically has shown considerable temporal growth. FP tumors can significantly affect the ability of turtles to forage for food and avoid predation and can grow to debilitating sizes. In the current study, based in South Texas, we have applied transcriptome sequencing to FP tumors and healthy control tissue to study the gene expression profiles of FP. By identifying differentially expressed turtle genes in FP, and matching these genes to their closest human ortholog we draw on the wealth of human based knowledge, specifically human cancer, to identify new insights into the biology of sea turtle FP. We show that several genes aberrantly expressed in FP tumors have known tumor promoting biology in humans, including CTHRC1 and NLRC5, and provide support that disruption of the Wnt signaling pathway is a feature of FP. Further, we profiled the expression of current targets of immune checkpoint inhibitors from human oncology in FP tumors and identified potential candidates for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas B. Blackburn
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Ana Cristina Leandro
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
| | - Nina Nahvi
- Sea Turtle Inc., South Padre Island, TX, United States
| | | | - Marcelo Leandro
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
| | | | - Juan M. Peralta
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Jeff George
- Sea Turtle Inc., South Padre Island, TX, United States
| | - Brian A. Stacy
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | | | - John Blangero
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
| | - Megan Keniry
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, United States
| | - Joanne E. Curran
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, United States
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