Sperm cells from stem cells

2009/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Bioteknologia

Under adequate growth conditions, a team of researchers from the University of Newcastle has managed to convert some stem cells from human embryos into sperm, or more specifically into cells with different characteristics of sperm. Some of the cells generated in the experiment have developed the tail and are able to move.

On the other hand, it is observed that approximately 3% of the cultured cells contain the amount of DNA that sperm usually contain, half the rest of the body's cells. However, researchers have not clarified whether the DNA of the generated cells contains the 23 chromosomes that contain human reproductive cells.

In addition, they have not yet been able to know whether the demethylation and DNA alterations in the process of creating reproductive cells have been correctly produced in cells. The fact that some parts of the DNA are methylated or not influences the expression of the genes, so if in the sperm process the cells were not properly methylated, the sperm from them would not give viable later.

Researchers know that they have not created normal sperm, but have shown their satisfaction by having seen that at least it is possible to create sperm from embryonic stem cells.