For the first time, a research group led by Assistant Professor Kiyoka Wakayama of the University of Yamanashi succeeded in producing cloned animals from somatic cells that had been freeze-dried for a long period of time.Since it does not use liquid nitrogen, it is possible to store genetic resources safely and at low cost.
Since the maintenance of biodiversity is essential for the future of humankind, sperm and egg conservation has begun in some animal species.However, with the current method using liquid nitrogen, if liquid nitrogen cannot be replenished due to an earthquake or the like, all of it will dissolve and cannot be used.The research group has developed a "freeze-dry" technique for storing sperm without the use of liquid nitrogen, but sperm cannot be collected from young, aged, or infertile males.Collecting eggs from a scalpel is difficult in any case.
Therefore, the research group focused on somatic cells that can be collected regardless of gender, age, or health condition.Since somatic cells can produce offspring by cloning technology, somatic cells can also be a genetic resource, but until now, cloned animals could not be produced from freeze-dried cells.This time, the research group found the optimal freeze-drying protective agent (epigallocatechin).After various trials and errors, we finally succeeded in producing cloned mice from somatic cells that had been freeze-dried and stored for up to 9 months.All the cloned mice examined had normal fertility.
The method developed this time is said to be the ultimate preservation method for genetic resources because it can be recovered from any individual and can be preserved safely and at low cost because it does not use liquid nitrogen.The research group proposes to permanently back up and store genetic resources beneath the Moon in the future so that it is safe in the event of a major earthquake or flood on Earth.
Paper information:[Nature communications] Healthy cloned offspring derived from freeze-dried somatic cells
