Arnal Audrey, Tissot Tazzio, Ujvari Beata, Nunney Leonard, Solary Eric, Laplane Lucie, Bonhomme François, Vittecoq Marion, Tasiemski Aurélie, Renaud François, Pujol Pascal, Roche Benjamin, Thomas Frédéric
CREEC, MIVEGEC, UMR IRD/CNRS/UM 5290, 911 Avenue Agropolis, BP 64501, 34394, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn, Ponds, Australia.
Evolution. 2016 Jan;70(1):1-6. doi: 10.1111/evo.12809. Epub 2015 Nov 23.
Similar to seemingly maladaptive genes in general, the persistence of inherited cancer-causing mutant alleles in populations remains a challenging question for evolutionary biologists. In addition to traditional explanations such as senescence or antagonistic pleiotropy, here we put forward a new hypothesis to explain the retention of oncogenic mutations. We propose that although natural defenses evolve to prevent neoplasm formation and progression thus increasing organismal fitness, they also conceal the effects of cancer-causing mutant alleles on fitness and concomitantly protect inherited ones from purging by purifying selection. We also argue for the importance of the ecological contexts experienced by individuals and/or species. These contexts determine the locally predominant fitness-reducing risks, and hence can aid the prediction of how natural selection will influence cancer outcomes.
与一般看似适应不良的基因类似，群体中遗传性致癌突变等位基因的持续存在对进化生物学家来说仍然是一个具有挑战性的问题。除了衰老或拮抗多效性等传统解释外，我们在此提出一个新的假说来解释致癌突变的保留。我们认为，尽管自然防御机制的进化是为了防止肿瘤形成和发展，从而提高生物体的适应性，但它们也掩盖了致癌突变等位基因对适应性的影响，并相应地保护了遗传的等位基因不被纯化选择清除。我们还强调了个体和/或物种所经历的生态环境的重要性。这些环境决定了当地主要的降低适应性的风险，因此有助于预测自然选择将如何影响癌症结果。
