Using stem cell technology , Texas reproductive science experts, led by Richard R. Berhringer, have created a male and a female from two parents . The milestone, published in the journal Biology of Reproduction , could offer an interesting way to conserve endangered species and reduce the loss of biodiversity, as well as for a new technique of assisted reproduction in humans. It also opens up the controversial possibility of same-sex couples conceiving their own genetic children, the researchers note.
In their experiments, the scientists engineered fibroblasts from a male fetus (XY) to produce a line of pluripotent stem cells. About 1% of these cells spontaneously lost the Y chromosome (remaining as X0) and were injected into blastocysts of a donor female mouse. The blastocysts were transplanted into surrogate mothers who gave birth to female mice with genetic material from the first male mouse . When these females mated with other males, offspring with genetic material were born from two male mice, that is, with two parents .
