Male Mouse Genes Used to Create Female Clone...Signal for Saving Endangered Species?

Japanese researchers have used gene-editing technology to create a female clone mouse carrying the exact genetic information of a male mouse. A joint team led by Professor Takashi Ito of Yamanashi University and Shogo Matoba of the RIKEN BioResource Research Center used 'CRISPR' gene-editing technology to remove the Y chromosome, which determines male sex, from cells of a male mouse. They succeeded in creating a female that is genetically identical to the original male.

Since the birth of 'Dolly' the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell in 1996, cloning technology has expanded its scope beyond improving livestock traits to include the conservation of endangered species. The San Diego Zoo operates a 'Frozen Zoo' that preserves cells from over 1,300 animal species in a cryogenic state to prepare for extinction.

Professor Ito and RIKEN researcher Shogo Matoba expressed hope that this approach could aid in the conservation of endangered species where only males remain or the population is extremely limited.