The Tasmanian Devil wildlife-management research study uses high-throughput 454 sequencing systems to prevent devastation of Earth's diverse species and ecosystems.
A study published in the Science journal reports that an international team of scientists has identified cells in the nervous system, called Schwann cells, to be the possible cause of the facial-tumour disease that is decimating Australia's Tasmanian devil population.
Schwann cells make up a type of tissue that cushions and protects nerve fibres but, until now, had no known association with the cancer.
The discovery stems from the team's efforts to fully characterise the genes in Tasmanian devil tumour cells, using transcriptome sequencing with the Genome Sequencer FLX System from 454 Life Sciences.
The findings may indicate new avenues for research to develop future diagnostic tools and treatments for the disease.
In order to identify the tissue of origin of the tumours, the team used the Genome Sequencer FLX System to sequence diseased and healthy transcriptomes - the complete set of genes that are 'turned on' in a specific cell.
The researchers then compared gene-expression results between the two tissues and found that the tumours' genetic signature best matched that of Schwann cells found in the peripheral nerve.
A team from Pennsylvania State University and the Children's Cancer Institute Australia are using the GS FLX System with GS FLX Titanium chemistry to sequence whole genomes of two geographically distinct Tasmanian devils.
'The long reads generated using the Roche 454 Sequencing System allowed for identification of genetic variation prior to complete genome assembly.
'Using this approach we were able to rapidly define the extent of genome-wide genetic diversity within the Tasmanian devil population,' said Vanessa Hayes of Children's Cancer Institute Australia.
