Chinese scientists hope panda stem cell breakthrough can help species survive

 

Chinese scientists have created a type of self-renewing stem cell from giant pandas for the first time, an important step for the conservation and preservation of the animals and possibly other endangered species. The researchers from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health said their technique could overcome constraints on safeguarding the genetic diversity of pandas, and allow for more advanced research, including into their diseases.

There are an estimated 2,000 giant pandas in the wild, and like many other endangered species, they face threats to their survival through human activities such as logging and the creation of roads. Although efforts to conserve the population through habitat protection and captive breeding have been effective, research has warned that some panda populations face an extinction risk of over 90 per cent, making it “imperative” to preserve panda genetic resources, according to the team.

The self-renewing cells, known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), can regenerate into many different cell types. Induced stem cells are made by taking body cells, for example from the skin and hair, and reprogramming them back into an embryonic-like state. This means they are able to act like early cells and become different types of tissues

The team’s cells were created by reprogramming a type of connective tissue cell known as fibroblasts. Scientists had already been able to isolate and preserve some panda cell types, including bone marrow and some found in the umbilical cord, that can be differentiated into other varieties.

“Despite these efforts, the limited proliferative capacity and weak differentiation ability of these cells hinder their application in giant panda research,” the team wrote in a paper published in peer-reviewed journal Science Advances. “Induced pluripotent stem cells offer a self-renewing, inexhaustible source of material from endangered species, capable of regenerating various cell types as needed.”

Zhang Shihao, co-first author of the paper, said one of the advantages of iPSCs was that they were easier to obtain, as they could be derived from skin or hair cells without harming the pandas. “In addition, iPSCs have the potential for self-renewal and multidirectional differentiation, and can differentiate into various types of cells, including mesenchymal stem cells,” Zhang added. Mesenchymal stem cells can be differentiated into different types of cells such as bone, cartilage, muscles and fat.

The application of iPSC technology has shown promise in the conservation of genetic resources for other species such as the Sumatran rhinoceros and Tasmanian devil. “[The cells] could serve as a crucial tool in preventing species extinction by differentiating into primordial germ cell-like cells, equivalent to primordial germ cells,” the researchers wrote.

Primordial germ cells are the origins of sperm and eggs, and are used in assisted reproductive technology to enhance the populations of endangered species. Embryonic stem cells, which can develop in any direction, have been a gold standard for studying the function and characteristics of pluripotent stem cells.

However, procuring them from giant pandas is challenging as certain egg collection techniques in live pandas are prohibited, and dead pandas often do not have viable eggs. The team’s new method could allow for the in-lab collection of embryonic stem cells through iPSCs. “This pivotal advancement represents a substantial stride toward our ultimate objective of using [giant panda iPSCs] for in vitro generation of gamete cells and embryos,” the researchers wrote.

The team will continue to try to make naive cells, which resemble pre-implantation cells, as they have heightened differentiation ability. One of the challenges the team faced was the limited research into certain panda cell characteristics, which meant the researchers had to explore from scratch. Zhang said their achievement was made possible by the long-term accumulation of experiments. Zhang said their current approach to applying this technology was “conservative”, but it may be used where necessary such as for small wild populations facing extinction.

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