Chinese scientists have used embryonic stem cell engineering to create the first mice with two fathers to reach adulthood, which has also revealed a possible way to enhance the developmental potential of embryos.
While scientists successfully created mice with two female parents over two decades ago, achieving the same feat with two male parents has proven a challenge.
The latest development was made possible through the targeted genetic engineering of imprinted genes. Those genes are typically expressed from only one copy from either the mother or father while the other copy is silenced.
“We show that correcting 20 imprinted loci enables the development of viable bi-paternal mice,” the team led by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Stem Cell on Tuesday.
“These findings provide strong evidence that imprinting abnormalities are the main barrier to mammalian unisexual reproduction,” Luo Guanzheng, co-corresponding author and a professor at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, said in a journal press release.
“This approach can significantly improve the developmental outcomes of embryonic stem cells and cloned animals, paving a promising path for the advancement of regenerative medicine,” Luo said.
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good thing we made mpreg real, eh luigi?
THE FRIGGIN CHINESE ARE MAKING THE RATS HAVE GAY DADS😎
THEY’RE TURNING THE FRICKIN’ MICE GAY
spoiler
“Hi! I’m Reggie!”
But what about Tiamenem?
It had at least two fathers too, in Langley and Washington
That’s cool!
In previous studies “The bipaternal mice exhibited developmental disorders, including craniofacial deformities, where their facial width-to-length ratio was broader compared to normal mice” and “difficulty suckling”, with only 12% survival rate at birth. Their approach alleviates both those defects, “however, the mice still exhibited behavioral abnormalities, such as a tendency to enter the center of an open-field test, which is contrary to the instinctive behavior of rodents”. A previous 2023 japanese study did something similar using skin stemcell and relying more heavily on genome editing.
Two main benefits outlined in this Reuters article going a bit more in depth seem to be around regenerative medicine and potentially a later method “for producing offspring through unisexual reproduction” for endangered species.
