絶滅寸前サイ、保全に道　ｉＰＳから卵子の元作製―大阪大など

　地球上に雌２頭だけで絶滅寸前となっているキタシロサイの精子や卵子の元になる生殖細胞（ＰＧＣ様細胞）を試験管内で作製することに、大阪大とドイツ、イタリアなどの国際研究チームが成功した。野生動物由来の人工多能性幹細胞（ｉＰＳ細胞）からＰＧＣ様細胞を作製したのは世界初で、研究が進めばキタシロサイ保全への道が開けるという。論文は９日付の米科学誌サイエンス・アドバンシズに掲載された。
　キタシロサイはアフリカ大陸中部に生息していたが、密猟や自然破壊で激減し、２００８年に野生種が絶滅。動物園にいた雌雄各２頭がケニアに移されたが、その後雄２頭が死んで自然交配できなくなっている。（2022/12/10-04:07）

An international team including Japan's Osaka University has succeeded in creating cells possibly developing into reproductive cells of the northern white rhinoceros, which might pave the way for saving the species on the verge of extinction.
   The team has created primordial germ cell-like cells of the rhino in vitro, in the world's first production of PGC-like cells from induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells derived from a wild animal. PGC-like cells are the source of sperm and eggs.
   The team, including Masafumi Hayashi, a researcher at an Osaka University graduate school, and German and Italian scientists, published an article on the research in U.S. journal Science Advances on Friday.
   The northern white rhino used to inhabit the central African continent, but illegal hunting and destruction of nature have drastically reduced its population. The species became extinct in the wild in 2008.
   Two males and two females were then relocated to Kenya from a zoo. But the males have since died, making natural mating impossible because the two females are the only remaining northern white rhinos in the world.