Mice birthed from unfertilized eggs
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Mice birthed from unfertilized eggs for the first time
A team of researchers have raised a mouse into adulthood that was produced from a single unfertilized egg. The mouse had genes from its mother only and it was thought to be impossible in mammals. This process is called parthenogenesis.
What is parthenogenesis?
Parthenogenesis is a method of asexual reproduction. The offspring born from this process contains either half of all of their mother’s genes.
It occurs naturally in several animal species including sharks, lizards and birds.
Process of parthenogenesis
The success of parthenogenesis in mammals will open many opportunities in agriculture, research and medicine. Scientists have stated that further identification of the process will improve the efficiency of parthenogenetic development.
Earlier, the researchers tried to use the process of asexual reproduction on mammals, but it didn’t succeed due to genomic imprinting.
What is genomic imprinting?
Genomic imprinting is a phenomenon that causes the genes to be expressed or not. They can also be partially imprinted.
Through the process of genomic imprinting, the genes indicate whether they belong to the mother or father.
Research process
The research team has taken many trials on unfertilized eggs. They used gene-editing tools on some imprinted gene regions. Through this process, it seemed that the mother’s genes came from the male.
They also tried injecting an enzyme into the egg. It will help to switch the genes on and off. This was done on an egg that was fertilized by a male.
It will be interesting to learn about embryo development and the way parental genes are regulated.
What are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments below.
There are many unique animals in the world that look and behave interestingly and differently. Have you heard about water bears or tardigrades? How about a platypus or wombat or living fossils? In fact, there are many unique, strange and rare animals that are also fascinating and amazing. Read more about such captivating creatures in our animal news for kids.
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