Researchers from the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC) have managed to develop sperm cells from testicular tissue belonging to endangered species.
The objective of this advance is to avoid inbreeding of those animals whose number has been drastically reduced, in the case of the Iberian lynx . In fact, the samples of this endangered feline came from run over.
” Each individual of a species is a unique specimen, and their death means the loss of their genetic inheritance forever,” said Eduardo Roldán, a researcher at the MCNM. “In threatened species, this loss is more serious due to the scarcity of individuals in their populations. Obtaining gametes from dead specimens, their storage and their use by means of assisted reproduction techniques represents a complementary alternative for their conservation ” , adds researcher Lucía Arregui.
It is the first time that sperm have been obtained and preserved from animals that have not yet reached sexual maturity , in this case from three species: the Iberian lynx, the Cuvier’s gazelle and the Mohor gazelle.
To achieve sperm development, specialists have introduced small fragments of testicular tissue under the skin of immunosuppressed mice. It stays alive because new blood vessels are created to feed it.
After a while, and thanks to the communication established between the hypothalamus and the pituitary of the host rodent and the implant, spermatogenesis begins. The sex cells thus produced will be able to fertilize, thereby preventing the loss of genetic material.
Photo: ex situ conservation program for the Iberian lynx
