Evolution by Tumor Neofunctionalization: The Role of Tumors in the Origin of New Cell Types, Tissues and Organs

Evolution by Tumor Neofunctionalization explores the possibility of the positive role of tumors in evolution of multicellular organisms. This unique perspective goes beyond recent publications on how evolution may influence tumors, to consider the possible role of tumors in evolution.

Widespread in nature tumors represent a much broader category than malignant tumors only. The majority of tumors in humans and other animals may never undergo malignant transformation. Tumors may differentiate with the loss of malignancy, and malignant tumors may spontaneously regress. Cellular oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes play roles in normal development. Many features of tumors could be used in evolution, and there are examples of tumors that have played a role in evolution.

This book will stimulate thinking on this topic by specialists in the fields of evolutionary biology, oncology, molecular biology, molecular evolution, embryology, evo-devo, tumor immunology, pathology and clinical oncology.

1. The modern synthesis of evolutionary biology and the health sciences 2. Evolution and pathology 3. The widespread occurrence of tumors in multicellular organisms 4. Features of tumors that could be used in evolution 5. Tumors might participate in evolution of ontogenesis 6. Tumors that might play the role in evolution 7. Tumors that have played the role in evolution 8. The general principles and molecular mechanisms of the origin of novel genes 9. The origin of evolutionarily novel genes and evolution of new functions and structural complexity in multicellular organisms 10. The origin of new cell types, tissues and organs by tumor neofunctionalization 11. Experimental confirmation of nontrivial predictions of evolution by tumor neofunctionalization hypothesis 12. Other evidence supporting the positive evolutionary role of tumors and hypothesis of evolution by tumor neofunctionalization 13. Overview 14. Conclusion