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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2025; 15(5); 613; doi: 10.3390/ani15050613

Endangered Przewalski’s Horse, Equus przewalskii, Cloned from Historically Cryopreserved Cells.

Abstract: Cloning from historically cryopreserved cells offers a potential means to restore lost genetic variation or increase the representation of particular lineages within bottlenecked species, provided such biobanked materials are archived for such genetic rescue applications. One species for which cloning can provide genetic management benefits is Przewalski's horse, . All ~1800 living Przewalski's horses, distributed across ex situ breeding facilities and in situ reintroduction sites, are descended from one or more of the five founder lineages established by the 12 horses captured from the wild between 1898 and 1947. Since the 1970s, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Biodiversity Bank's Frozen Zoo (Escondido, CA, USA) has biobanked cells or tissues of 575 individuals spanning many generations. A pedigree analysis of a subset of deceased individuals represented in the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Biodiversity Bank's Frozen Zoo revealed an underrepresented male that lived from 1975 to 1998, Studbook Number 615 (also known as Kuporovitch), who would be of high value for breeding if cloned. Here, we report that two healthy clones were produced from this cell line using cross-species somatic cell nuclear transfer from 2020 to 2023. Their identification as clones was verified by a standard horse-pedigree genotyping panel, and, for one clone, a whole genome sequencing comparison to the original donor was performed. This is the first time that multiple healthy clones surviving the perinatal period have been produced for an endangered species.
Publication Date: 2025-02-20 PubMed ID: 40075896PubMed Central: PMC11898140DOI: 10.3390/ani15050613Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

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The research is about producing two healthy clones of the endangered Przewalski’s horse using historically cryopreserved cells. This marks the first time multiple viable clones of an endangered species have been successfully created.

Overview of the Research Article

  • The research article focuses on the usage of cloning from historically cryopreserved cells to conserve and restore the genetic diversity of the endangered Przewalski’s horse.
  • All current living Przewalski’s horses are known to descend from five founder lineages which were established by 12 horses that were captured between 1898 to 1947.
  • These lineages have been preserved in the form of biobanked cells or tissues of 575 individuals in the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Biodiversity Bank’s Frozen Zoo since the 1970s.

Cloning of Przewalski’s Horse

  • The researchers discovered that one particular male horse named Kuporovitch, who lived from 1975 to 1998, was underrepresented in the genetic pool.
  • The researchers cloned this horse using its cryopreserved cells via a technique called cross-species somatic cell nuclear transfer.
  • Between 2020 and 2023, they managed to produce two healthy clones from this procedure, marking a significant achievement in the field of cloning endangered species.

Verification of Clones

  • The team used several methods to confirm the cloned individuals. They utilized a standard horse-pedigree genotyping panel for identification.
  • For one of the clones, a whole-genome sequencing comparison was performed with the original donor (Kuporovitch) to further verify their genetic identity.

Significance of the Research

  • This research holds great significance as it marks the first time multiples healthy clones of an endangered species have been produced and have survived the perinatal period.
  • This opens up new potential avenues for the restoration and conservation of genetic diversity in endangered species, through the usage of historical cryopreserved cells.

Cite This Article

APA
Novak BJ, Ryder OA, Houck ML, Walker K, Russell L, Russell B, Walker S, Arenivas SS, Aston L, Veneklasen G, Ivy JA, Koepfli KP, Rusnak A, Simek J, Zhuk A, Putnam AS, Phelan R. (2025). Endangered Przewalski’s Horse, Equus przewalskii, Cloned from Historically Cryopreserved Cells. Animals (Basel), 15(5), 613. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15050613

Publication

ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 15
Issue: 5
PII: 613

Researcher Affiliations

Novak, Ben J
  • Revive & Restore, 1505 Bridgeway #203, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA.
Ryder, Oliver A
  • Beckman Center for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA 92027, USA.
Houck, Marlys L
  • Beckman Center for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA 92027, USA.
Walker, Kelcey
  • ViaGen Pets & Equine, 715 Discovery Blvd #410, Cedar Park, TX 78613, USA.
Russell, Lexie
  • ViaGen Pets & Equine, 715 Discovery Blvd #410, Cedar Park, TX 78613, USA.
Russell, Blake
  • ViaGen Pets & Equine, 715 Discovery Blvd #410, Cedar Park, TX 78613, USA.
Walker, Shawn
  • ViaGen Pets & Equine, 715 Discovery Blvd #410, Cedar Park, TX 78613, USA.
Arenivas, Sanaz Sadeghieh
  • ViaGen Pets & Equine, 715 Discovery Blvd #410, Cedar Park, TX 78613, USA.
Aston, Lauren
  • ViaGen Pets & Equine, 715 Discovery Blvd #410, Cedar Park, TX 78613, USA.
Veneklasen, Gregg
  • Timber Creek Veterinary Hospital, 19302 Farm to Market Rd 1541, Canyon, TX 79015, USA.
Ivy, Jamie A
  • Independent Researcher, Erie, CO 80516, USA.
Koepfli, Klaus-Peter
  • Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, George Mason University, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA.
  • Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA.
Rusnak, Anna
  • Institute of Applied Computer Science, ITMO University, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia.
Simek, Jaroslav
  • Prague Zoo, 171 00 Prague, Czech Republic.
Zhuk, Anna
  • Institute of Applied Computer Science, ITMO University, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia.
  • Laboratory of Amyloid Biology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia.
Putnam, Andrea S
  • Dallas Zoo, 650 S R.L. Thornton Fwy, Dallas, TX 75203, USA.
Phelan, Ryan
  • Revive & Restore, 1505 Bridgeway #203, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA.

Grant Funding

  • NA / Revive & Restore

Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors Ben J. Novak and Ryan Phelan are employed by the non-profit organization Revive & Restore. Authors Kelcey Walker, Lexie Russell, Blake Russell, Shawn Walker, Sanaz Sadeghieh Arenivas, Lauren Aston are employed by the company ViaGen Pets & Equine. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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