UPDATE:
Genome of near-extinct northern white rhino offers hope for reviving the species
The northern white rhinoceros is one of the rarest animals on Earth, with just two females left and no natural way for the species to reproduce.
Now, an international team of scientists at Scripps Research, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, and other collaborators have mapped the entire genome of a northern white rhino. This represents a crucial step toward bringing the critically endangered species back from the edge using advanced reproductive technologies.
The complete genome can be used as a reference to analyze the health of previously developed northern white rhinoceros stem cells. Eventually, those stem cells may be able to generate sperm and eggs to yield new rhinos.
"What's so exciting about this milestone is that we're getting closer to being able to rescue animals that otherwise might go extinct during our lifetimes," says co-senior author Jeanne Loring, Professor Emeritus at Scripps Research and a research fellow at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. "This is great progress not only for white rhinos, but for the entire field of animal conservation."
The new effort combined cutting-edge DNA sequencing and genome mapping techniques to build a high-quality genome. Scientists used cells previously collected from a male northern white rhinoceros named Angalifu, who lived at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park until his death in 2014. At the time, his skin cells were cryopreserved in the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Frozen Zoo.
The new genome also settled lingering questions about how different northern and southern white rhinos really are.
Some earlier data suggested significant DNA differences that might make it risky for southern white rhinos to be implanted with northern white rhino embryos. But updated comparisons show their genomes are strikingly similar, giving scientists confidence that southern white rhinos—which are far more numerous—can serve as surrogates without major complications.
For Loring, who's been working on this project since 2007, the new genome is a symbol of what's possible. "Now that we have their genome, we can apply all the tools we've developed for humans—CRISPR gene editing, reporter genes, everything—to help rescue them."
The work also sets a powerful example for other endangered species, Loring says. Efforts to save hundreds of different endangered species—from mammals and birds to plants and corals—depend on careful biobanking like that being done by the Frozen Zoo.
"The Frozen Zoo had the foresight to freeze actual cells from these animals," she says. "That means we're not trying to recreate a species from scraps of ancient, damaged DNA. We have the real thing."
Ultimately, the goal is to grow healthy embryos and implant them into surrogate mothers, then raise the resulting calves in protected environments. It's not Jurassic Park, Loring is quick to point out, and it doesn't depend on gene editing or engineering.
"We're not resurrecting a mystery species—we're restoring one we still know intimately," she adds. "The rhino is big, gentle and unforgettable. It's the perfect symbol for what science can do to fight extinction."
Genome of near-extinct northern white rhino offers hope for reviving the species
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