De novo evolution of transmissible tumours in hydra

Abstract

While most cancers are not transmissible, there are rare cases where cancer cells can spread between individuals and even across species, leading to epidemics. Despite their significance, the origins of such cancers remain elusive due to late detection in host populations. Using Hydra oligactis, which exhibits spontaneous tumour development that in some strains became vertically transmitted, this study presents the first experimental observation of the evolution of a transmissible tumour. Specifically, we assessed the initial vertical transmission rate of spontaneous tumours and explored the potential for optimizing this rate through artificial selection. One of the hydra strains, which evolved transmissible tumours over five generations, was characterized by analysis of cell type and bacteriome, and assessment of life-history traits. Our findings indicate that tumour transmission can be immediate for some strains and can be enhanced by selection. The resulting tumours are characterized by overproliferation of large interstitial stem cells and are not associated with a specific bacteriome. Furthermore, despite only five generations of transmission, these tumours induced notable alterations in host life-history traits, hinting at a compensatory response. This work, therefore, makes the first contribution to understanding the conditions of transmissible cancer emergence and their short-term consequences for the host.