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Social environment mediates cancer progression in Drosophila

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posted on 2018-09-03, 00:00 authored by Erika H Dawson, Tiphaine P M Bailly, Julie Dos Santos, Céline Moreno, Maëlle Devilliers, Brigitte Maroni, Cédric Sueur, Andreu Casali, Beata UjvariBeata Ujvari, Frederic Thomas, Jacques Montagne, Frederic Mery
The influence of oncogenic phenomena on the ecology and evolution of animal species is becoming an important research topic. Similar to host-pathogen interactions, cancer negatively affects host fitness, which should lead to the selection of host control mechanisms, including behavioral traits that best minimize the proliferation of malignant cells. Social behavior is suggested to influence tumor progression. While the ecological benefits of sociality in gregarious species are widely acknowledged, only limited data are available on the role of the social environment on cancer progression. Here, we exposed adult Drosophila, with colorectal-like tumors, to different social environments. We show how subtle variations in social structure have dramatic effects on the progression of tumor growth. Finally, we reveal that flies can discriminate between individuals at different stages of tumor development and selectively choose their social environment accordingly. Our study demonstrates the reciprocal links between cancer and social interactions and how sociality may impact health and fitness in animals and its potential implications for disease ecology.

History

Journal

Nature communications

Volume

9

Issue

1

Article number

3574

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group

Location

London, Eng.

eISSN

2041-1723

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2018, Mertens, Treml and von der Heyden

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