There are only two examples of this animal left in the world
Scientists say they have enough genetic material to restore the northern white rhino, but that doesn't mean it will be easy.
While only two female northern white rhinos remain, frozen skin cells could save the endangered species, researchers say.
According to Isna, can turning the frozen skin of the northern white rhinoceros into sperm and egg cells bring this animal back to the wild?
Scientists say they have enough genetic material to restore the northern white rhino, but that doesn't mean it will be easy.
It is worth mentioning that there are only two northern white rhinos left on the planet, both of them are females and a mother and daughter named Nagin and her daughter Fatu, and the last male northern white rhino named Sudan died in 2018.
Revival of a species
Researchers at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in California examined skin cells extracted and frozen from 12 northern white rhinos housed at the zoo. Using a computer model, they simulated the result of using the genetic material of these rhinos to produce sperm and egg cells.
Cells that become embryos could be carried by a closely related subspecies of the northern white rhinoceros, the southern white rhinoceros, they say.
“The beauty of having this constant source of genomes at the Frozen Zoo is that we can constantly pull out new animals and reintroduce them into the animal population,” says Ariane Wilder, a conservation genetics researcher at the San Diego Zoo's Wildlife Alliance.
The research showed that this approach could work, giving hope for the return of other northern white rhinos, albeit over several generations.
According to their simulations, northern white rhinos had no inbreeding after 10 generations. Inbreeding occurs when animals within a population mate with close relatives, reducing genetic diversity.
Inbreeding or inbreeding or inbreeding refers to reproduction as a result of the mating of two genetically related parents. This causes an increase in homozygosity, which itself increases the probability of the child suffering from undesirable and harmful characteristics. Inbreeding generally causes a decrease in the biological ability in the population, which is called inbreeding.
In this case, the results showed that the mating pairs in each generation were genetically diverse. It mimics natural reproductive patterns that prevent inbreeding in a healthy population.
In summary, the genetic diversity of northern white rhinos remained intact, indicating their population stability.
What is behind this process?
Skin cells are collected and stored in a bank. These cells can then be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). iPSCs are unique in their ability to differentiate into any cell type in the body.
After producing iPSCs, researchers can direct them to differentiate into primordial germ cells.
One obstacle is that primordial germ cells need supporting cells to grow and mature, says Wilder. We need to generate these support cells from iPSCs for endangered species like the northern white rhino.
On the other side of the coin
Researchers still have to overcome many challenges, such as chemically inducing frozen skin cells into sperm and egg stem cells. There is also doubt as to whether the successor species of the southern white rhinoceros can successfully carry embryos. This is an important concern, because success depends on the ability to conceive and give birth to healthy children.
Terry Roth, an assistant professor at the Center for Conservation and Endangered Wildlife Research at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, also says: “Conserving rhinos is about much more than genetic diversity in cell lines.” But good news on any front is worth celebrating in these trying days.
