Abstract

Contagious cancers that can cross histocompatibility barriers challenge our understanding of graft rejection and the limits of tumour survival. The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) harbours two distinct contagious cancers, Devil Facial Tumour 1 (DFT1) and Devil Facial Tumour 2 (DFT2) that arose in two different individuals before transmitting through the population. In both diseases the tumour cells pass between animals, seeding the growth of large tumours around the face and neck. Our research is focused on determining how these contagious cancers evade the host immune system and the development of vaccination strategies. In this seminar I will present our findings on the contrasting role of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules in the spread of DFT1 and DFT2 . We are now integrating transcriptomics, proteomics and mass spectrometry to define the peptides presented by MHC molecules on DFT cells to identify potential vaccine candidates.