2023-11-13 01:03:50
Fascinating recently published research shows that the very low incidence of cancer in bats might be explained by certain genes involved in the powerful immune response of these animals.
Flying mammals
Bats are a very particular order of mammals (chiroptera), characterized by the development of several quite remarkable physiological adaptations such as very high speed flight (certain species can reach speeds exceeding 150 km/h), echolocation, unusual longevity for animals of their size (up to 40 years, which would be equivalent to 230 years for a human) and very low rates of cancer.
These properties are all the more exceptional since bats also represent a reservoir of several viruses, including some which are extremely dangerous (Marburg, Nipah, Ebola, SARS-CoV-1 and -2), without the presence of these pathogens have any negative impact on their health.
Atypical immunity
It has been suggested that the resistance of bats to the presence of many viruses is due to marked differences in the structure of many immune proteins that render these animals tolerant to viral infection and reduce the inflammatory response normally associated with the presence of a pathogen.
Since inflammation also plays a key role in the development of cancer, this attenuation of immune and inflammatory responses might also explain the very low incidence of cancer observed in bats.
To examine this possibility, researchers analyzed the DNA of 15 different species of bats and compared these genomes to that of humans, mice and other mammals that are susceptible to developing different types of cancer1.
They observed several striking differences in the genes encoding several immune and inflammatory proteins, particularly in interferons, a class of proteins that play central roles in controlling inflammation.
According to the authors, the interferon profile of bats is completely different from that of humans and the reduction in inflammatory potential caused by this change might explain, at least in part, the almost non-existent incidence of cancers in these animals.
Better protected DNA
Another factor that might contribute to this protection once morest cancer is the presence of 33 tumor suppressor genes and 6 DNA repair genes which are enriched in the genome of bats compared to those of mammals which are affected. by cancer.
It is possible that these protective mechanisms are an adaptation to the very particular lifestyle of bats, notably the high quantity of metabolic wastes (such as free radicals) which are generated by the high expenditure of energy required for flight.
Since these waste products can attack DNA and cause mutations leading to cancer, selection for DNA defense and repair mechanisms likely evolved in parallel to counteract the negative effects of these attacks on survival.
Regardless, it is clear that a low-intensity inflammatory response, combined with the presence of barriers that protect DNA integrity, represents a winning strategy for the prevention not only of cancer, but also of all chronic diseases whose development is influenced by excess inflammation.
These results show once once more to what extent nature represents an inexhaustible source of inspiration for discovering new ways to fight once morest the diseases that affect humanity and to improve the human condition.
1. Scheben A et coll. Long-read sequencing reveals rapid evolution of immunity- and cancer-related genes in bats. Genome Biol. Evol. 2023; 15: evad148.
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