Preserving fossilized soft tissues: advancing proteomics and unveiling the evolutionary history of cancer in dinosaurs
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Chandrasinghe, Pramodh C
Cereser, Biancastella
Bertazzo, Sergio
Csiki-Sava, Zoltán
Stebbing, Justin
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Understanding how life-history strategies influence cancer susceptibility in dinosaurs requires molecular-level analysis of preserved soft tissues. While previous research has largely focused on skeletal remains, the discovery of soft tissue structures in fossils, such as Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus, highlights the need for a new approach. Paleoproteomics offers a transformative opportunity to analyze ancient proteins, re-vealing evolutionary trade-offs between growth, reproduction, and cancer suppression. This study argues that prioritizing fossil collection and soft tissue preservation is crucial, as future advances in molecular techniques will allow deeper insights into disease evolution. By integrating life-history theory with paleopathology, we can better understand the selective pressures that shaped cancer susceptibility in extinct species and identify po-tential mechanisms of tumor resistance. This commentary highlights the necessity of long-term fossil conservation efforts to support future breakthroughs in evolutionary biology and comparative oncology.
Date Issued
2025-04-01
Date Acceptance
2025-04-01
Citation
Biology, 2025, 14 (4)
ISSN
2079-7737
Publisher
MDPI AG
Journal / Book Title
Biology
Volume
14
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
10.3390/biology14040370
Subjects
Fossils
Paleopathology
Evolutionary biology of cancers
Paleoproteomics
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
370
Date Publish Online
2025-04-03