An amazing case in biology: a mouse born from two males surprised researchers with scientific results

Scientists from China have made an important breakthrough in genetic research by creating a mouse that had no biological material from a female. This was made possible thanks to many years of experience in stem cell engineering.

The main feature of the experiment was that the animal, having two parents, was able to reach adulthood, which was a significant achievement in this area and confirmed its viability. This is reported by ScienceAlert.

The experiment, led by molecular biologist Ji-kun Li from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, involved the use of the latest genetic techniques to create mice with two parents. In previous attempts to produce embryos from male stem cells, serious developmental problems or death of the offspring were observed. However, the new technology allowed for healthier mice, although their survival rate was low - only about 13% of embryos survived to birth, and half of them did not reach adulthood.

In natural mammalian reproduction, a sperm fuses with an egg to form an embryo with two sets of genetic information. However, when both genetic contributions come from sperm, imprinting abnormalities can occur, resulting in double silencing. This phenomenon, when both copies of a gene stop working, can cause serious problems in the development of the organism. To avoid this problem, Li and his team modified 20 imprinting genes using high-precision genetic techniques such as deleting certain genes and editing specific DNA regions.

The achievement of the Chinese scientists shows significant progress in understanding congenital disorders, which may be of great importance for future reproductive technologies, including for humans. This is not the first time mice have been created using two sperm. In 2023, Japanese scientists achieved a similar result, but their method led to only 1.1% of successful births. The Chinese technology showed much better results in terms of survival, although all the mice created remained sterile.

In contrast, Japanese scientists were able to create mice with two mothers back in 2004, which is an easier process because in some species eggs can develop without sperm. However, in mammals, the absence of sperm creates specific difficulties because of the important role of the egg in initial development.

To overcome these difficulties, the researchers obtained egg-like cells from male embryonic stem cells and fertilized them with sperm from another male. Before fertilization, they carefully adjusted the imprinting genes to avoid the negative effects of double silencing. Although the mice were healthier than in previous attempts, the scientists acknowledge that further improvements are needed to increase their viability and fertility.

"Further refinement of imprinting genes could help create healthy biparental mice capable of producing viable gametes, and lead to new therapeutic approaches for treating imprinting-related diseases," Ji-kun Lee said. His research, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, provides valuable insights into the field of reproductive biology and genetics. However, the application of these technologies to humans is still not possible. The complexity of imprinting genes in humans and the ethical issues associated with genetic modifications pose significant obstacles to such research.

However, an important outcome of this study is the possible application of imprinting gene research to treat diseases such as Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes, which arise from genetic imprinting disorders and lead to serious developmental and neurological disorders.

If you want to get the latest news about the war and events in Ukraine, subscribe to our Telegram channel!