Agriculture and Marine Science ProgramKyoka Sera, a sophomore, received the Outstanding Presentation Award at the 134th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Animal Science.
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Kyoka Sera ( Agriculture and Marine Science Program, sophomore), a member of Associate Professor Kazutsugu Matsukawa’s research group, presented her research findings titled “Conservation of Genetic Resources and Production of Cloned Individuals of Rare Wagyu Breeds Using Freeze-Dried Somatic Cells” at the 134th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Animal Science and received the Outstanding Presentation Award.
Livestock genetic resources are crucial for the conservation of rare breeds, the maintenance of production infrastructure during disasters, and future breeding efforts. Currently, liquid nitrogen is primarily used to preserve sperm, fertilized eggs, and somatic cells; however, this method requires continuous replenishment and facility maintenance, and there are challenges regarding transportation and preservation during disasters.
In this study, we focused on “freeze-drying” as a new method for preserving genetic resources that does not rely on liquid nitrogen. We established a fibroblast cell line from the Kochi strain of the Brown Japanese Beef Cattle (Tosa Akaushi), a rare Japanese beef cattle breed, and conducted a detailed evaluation of the cell membranes, proliferative capacity, DNA damage, and ultrastructure after freeze-drying.Furthermore, we performed somatic cell nuclear transfer by transplanting these freeze-dried somatic cells into enucleated bovine oocytes. The resulting embryos were transferred to recipient cows, resulting in successful pregnancies and the birth of two cloned calves. One of these calves, “Homare,” is still growing and thriving.
The scientific significance of this study lies not merely in demonstrating a new technique for preserving genetic resources. It also showed that even somatic cells that have lost their viability as cells can, if the necessary information is retained in their nuclei, lead to ontogenesis once again through the action of oocytes.
Inspired by this award, it is hoped that the research will continue to advance in two areas: the conservation of genetic resources for rare livestock unique to Kochi Prefecture, and the elucidation of the fundamental principles of mammalian development and nuclear reprogramming.
