Immunological surveillance against cancer across mammals

Orsolya Vincze (), Piotr Minias, Alexandre Corthay, Fernando Colchero, Jean-François Lemaître, Louise Maille, Tamás Malkócs, Justus Hagemann, Dalia A. Conde, Samuel Pavard, Antoine M. Dujon, Beata Ujvari, Frédéric Thomas, Amy M. Boddy, Carlo C. Maley, Damien Chevallier, Tuul Sepp, Thomas Pradeu and Mathieu Giraudeau
Additional contact information
Orsolya Vincze: UMR 5164, Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, ImmunoConcEpT
Piotr Minias: University of Łódź, Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection
Alexandre Corthay: Oslo University Hospital, Tumor Immunology Lab, Department of Pathology, Rikshospitalet
Fernando Colchero: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution
Jean-François Lemaître: Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1; CNRS
Louise Maille: UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs)
Tamás Malkócs: UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs)
Justus Hagemann: UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs)
Dalia A. Conde: University of Southern Denmark, Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics
Samuel Pavard: Université Paris Cité, Unité Eco-Anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS
Antoine M. Dujon: Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences
Beata Ujvari: Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences
Frédéric Thomas: IRD 224–CNRS 5290–Université de Montpellier, CREEC/CANECEV (CREES), MIVEGEC
Amy M. Boddy: University of California Santa Barbara, Department of Anthropology
Carlo C. Maley: Arizona State University, Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences
Damien Chevallier: Station de recherche marine de Martinique, BOREA Research Unit, MNHN, CNRS 8067, SU, IRD 207, UA
Tuul Sepp: University of Tartu, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences
Thomas Pradeu: UMR 5164, Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, ImmunoConcEpT
Mathieu Giraudeau: UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs)

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Contrary to expectations based on their higher cell numbers, larger and longer-lived species do not face dramatically increased risk of cancer. This strongly suggests that evolution has fashioned natural cancer resistance mechanisms, yet our knowledge remains limited on what these mechanisms might be. The cancer immunological surveillance hypothesis, proposed by Burnet and Thomas in the 1950s, highlights immunity as a key factor determining species-specific cancer resistance. Here we address the original, evolutionary interpretation of this hypothesis by investigating the relationship between cancer mortality risk and markers of efficient antigen presentation. Our results show that the expansion of the MHC class I gene complex, as well as increased selection for diversity at these genes is associated with sharply decreasing cancer mortality risk across mammals. This suggests that the efficient presentation of diverse peptides in somatic cells is important for cancer suppression across mammals, providing pioneering evidence that supports the cancer immunosurveillance hypothesis across species.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65286-x

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