Healthy mice for the first time were obtained from the cells of two males

A group of researchers led by Katsuhiko Hayashi from Osaka University presented at the Third

international summit on genome editingin London, the results of the first successful experiment in growing mice exclusively from male cells. The cubs, obtained from the cells of two males, lived to adulthood and gave birth to their own offspring.

For their experiment, the researchers tookskin cells obtained from adult male mice. Scientists used genetic engineering methods to create induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from them - artificial cells that can develop into any type. Biologists grew these cells in a special environment until some of them spontaneously lost their Y chromosomes.

The researchers treated the cells with a compoundcalled reversin, which can cause errors in the distribution of chromosomes during cell division. In the resulting medium, they selected cells in which, as a result of exposure, a female chromosome set was formed. An additional X chromosome from them was used for “transplantation” into iPSCs that had lost the male chromosome and the formation of immature eggs.

Ready eggs were cultured inthe female genital organoid, a system that mimics conditions inside the mouse ovary. When the eggs were fertilized with normal sperm, the scientists obtained 630 embryos, which were implanted into surrogate mice. Although the survival rate was only about 1%: only 7 transplants resulted in the birth of cubs, the born mice were healthy, survived to adulthood and gave birth to their own offspring.

The researchers note that this is only the firstpreliminary result. They will continue to study the mice to look for any differences from those bred using conventional methods. In particular, it is not yet known how the proposed technology affects epigenetic factors that determine the transcription of genes from DNA. 

It will take at least 10 years to transfertechnology on humans, in particular to increase the likelihood of successful embryo development. However, the researchers believe that in the future a similar approach could be used, for example, to treat infertility caused by sex chromosomal conditions such as Turner syndrome, in which women lack part or all of the X chromosome.

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