A Voice Of Unheards!

A preliminary study on companion animals to

combat different types of cancers By HALEEMA SADIA, DR. MUHAMMAD WASIM and DR. ELIZABETH MURCHISON

Published: March 25, 2015 at 1:08 am

Last Updated: March 25, 2015 at 1:08 am

Molecular oncology is the emanating field of science which involves the study of cancers at

molecular level. It expedites the worldwide researchers, physicians, molecular biologists;

oncologists and pathologists’ to better apprehend the genetic dialectics of cancer which will be

pragmatic for the diagnostics and therapeutics of various types of cancers. Besides the

deleterious proliferations of tumors into human beings, it has also propagations in animal species

as well.

Cats and dogs are considered as the companion animals and both are among the most favorite

pets. Being the mammals, they maysuffer from many diseases similar to human beingsas they

live in the same environment. Cancer is the most noxious disease of 21st century and to overcome

this disease cats and dogs were preferred as a model in this study. Researchers at Institute of

Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore,

Pakistan have explained the gene expressionprofilingoftumor suppressor gene (BRCA1) and an

inflammation producing enzyme (COX2 gene) in varioustumors of these two species of Pakistan

by Real Time Quantitative PCR method (RT qPCR). Gene sequencing of these two

aforementioned genes was also performed to identify the tumor associated mutations.This study

has revealed that the gene expression profiling of both genes could be used asdiagnosticmarkers

in different types of mammary glands, lymph nodes, granulocytes, pelvic warts,oral and head

tumors.COX-2(gene)inhibitors can be used to handle these tumors.

Canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) is a distinctive type of tumor in dogs in which the

tumor cellsare examined as pathogenic in nature and these cellsaremutually transferred from

male dog tobitch or vice versaduring coitus.The UVASresearchers’ team developed a diagnostic

method for CTVT diagnosis by RT qPCR method in collaboration with Department of

Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK. They also revealed the reasons due to which

tumor cells cross the defensebarrier of host’stissues (CTVT-affected dogs) by escaping its

natural rejection mechanism. The nature of CTVT cells were determined by histopathology,

immunohistochemistry and RT qPCR (DLA-DQA1 MHCII gene) method.

Antibodies(Immunity) produced by host after vincristine (chemotherapy) treatment were

analyzed by western blotting.Genotypes of the DLA-DQA1 for CTVT, hosts and normal dog

samples(CTVT unaffected dogs) were determined by sequencing. CTVT studied at Cambridge

University(Pakistan, Gambia, Honduras, Ecuador, Maningrida and Brazil) had novel marker

variant which was not reported ever before. The striking feature of this research work was that

theallele specific variants of CTVTs were also detected in Pakistani host and normal samples.

This discovery gives some intimation about the evolutionary relationship of CTVT among the

dogs of East Asian countries.

These experimental augmentations have macadamized the approaches to deduce the genetic

basis of differenttumors in a better wayand it is a significantinclusion in the currentknowledgeof

animal genetic resources in Pakistan.This study will also bea salubriousstep for other experts to

develop more diagnostic markers and therapeutics to combat different types of cancers.