Groups such as the University of Tokyo have announced that they have succeeded in producing cells that are the source of normally functioning sperms and eggs using "ES cells" made from rat cells.
It is the first time in the world to succeed in animals other than mice, and it is attracting attention that it will lead to applications such as reproductive medicine in the future.
This research was published in the scientific journal "Science" by a group such as Toshihiro Kobayashi, a specially appointed associate professor at the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo.
The group used rats, whose physiological characteristics are closer to those of humans than mice, and cultured the ES cells of these rats in a floating state.
And when a special protein was added, it succeeded in transforming it into a cell called "primitive germ cell" that is the source of sperm and eggs.
Furthermore, when these cells were transplanted into rats that were unable to produce sperm, sperm was produced, and it was confirmed that child rats were born from there.
According to the group, producing properly functioning primordial germ cells from ES cells has so far only been achieved in mice and is the first in the world to succeed in rats.
Associate Professor Kobayashi said, "It is significant that we succeeded in producing germ cells capable of fertilizing in animals other than mice. In the future, we believe that it will be applied to human reproductive medicine. I'm talking. "