Nature's SAFE, Chapel Field Stud, Ash Lane, Whitchurch, Shropshire, UK.
Dublin Zoo, Phoenix Park, Dublin 8, Ireland.
Reprod Fertil. 2022 Jun 30;3(3):R121-R146. doi: 10.1530/RAF-22-0005. eCollection 2022 Jul 1.
Biodiversity is defined as the presence of a variety of living organisms on the Earth that is essential for human survival. However, anthropogenic activities are causing the sixth mass extinction, threatening even our own species. For many animals, dwindling numbers are becoming fragmented populations with low genetic diversity, threatening long-term species viability. With extinction rates 1000-10,000 times greater than natural, and conservation programmes need additional support to save species. The indefinite storage of cryopreserved (-196°C) viable cells and tissues (cryobanking), followed by assisted or advanced assisted reproductive technology (ART: utilisation of oocytes and spermatozoa to generate offspring; aART: utilisation of somatic cell genetic material to generate offspring), may be the only hope for species' long-term survival. As such, cryobanking should be considered a necessity for all future conservation strategies. Following cryopreservation, ART/aART can be used to reinstate lost genetics back into a population, resurrecting biodiversity. However, for this to be successful, species-specific protocol optimisation and increased knowledge of basic biology for many taxa are required. Current ART/aART is primarily focused on mammalian taxa; however, this needs to be extended to all, including to some of the most endangered species: amphibians. Gamete, reproductive tissue and somatic cell cryobanking can fill the gap between losing genetic diversity today and future technological developments. This review explores species prioritisation for cryobanking and the successes and challenges of cryopreservation and multiple ARTs/aARTs. We here discuss the value of cryobanking before more species are lost and the potential of advanced reproductive technologies not only to halt but also to reverse biodiversity loss.
The world is undergoing its sixth mass extinction; however, unlike previous events, the latest is caused by human activities and is resulting in the largest loss of biodiversity (all living things on Earth) for 65 million years. With an extinction rate 1000-10,000-fold greater than natural, this catastrophic decline in biodiversity is threatening our own survival. As the number of individuals within a species declines, genetic diversity reduces, threatening their long-term existence. In this review, the authors summarise approaches to indefinitely preserve living cells and tissues at low temperatures (cryobanking) and the technologies required to resurrect biodiversity. In the future when appropriate techniques become available, these living samples can be thawed and used to reinstate genetic diversity and produce live young ones of endangered species, enabling their long-term survival. The successes and challenges of genome resource cryopreservation are discussed to enable a move towards a future of stable biodiversity.
生物多样性是指地球上存在的各种生物，这对人类的生存至关重要。然而，人为活动正在导致第六次物种大灭绝，甚至威胁到我们自己的物种。对于许多动物来说，数量的减少导致了种群的碎片化，遗传多样性降低，长期的物种生存能力受到威胁。由于灭绝速度比自然速度快 1000-10000 倍，保护计划需要额外的支持来拯救物种。冷冻保存（-196°C）的可存活细胞和组织（低温保存库）的无限期储存，随后是辅助或高级辅助生殖技术（利用卵母细胞和精子产生后代的 ART；利用体细胞遗传物质产生后代的 aART），可能是物种长期生存的唯一希望。因此，低温保存库应该被视为所有未来保护策略的必要条件。低温保存后，可以使用辅助生殖技术/aART 将失去的遗传物质重新引入种群，恢复生物多样性。然而，要想成功，需要针对特定物种进行优化，并增加对许多类群基本生物学的了解。目前的辅助生殖技术/aART 主要集中在哺乳动物类群；然而，这需要扩展到所有类群，包括一些最濒危的物种：两栖动物。配子、生殖组织和体细胞低温保存库可以填补今天失去遗传多样性与未来技术发展之间的空白。本综述探讨了低温保存库的物种优先排序，以及低温保存和多种辅助生殖技术/aART 的成功和挑战。我们在这里讨论了在更多物种灭绝之前进行低温保存的价值，以及高级生殖技术不仅可以阻止而且可以逆转生物多样性丧失的潜力。
