（中央社華盛頓8日法新電）美國科學家首創以幹細胞技術從2隻雄性老鼠身上孕育出幼鼠，科學家表示這項新突破可幫助保育瀕臨絕種的動植物，甚至有一天能幫助人類同性情侶擁有自己血緣基因的孩子。
據今天刊載於生殖科學期刊（journal Biology of Reproduction）的研究表示，德州再生科學家成功操控雄性（XY染色體）老鼠胚胎細胞，發展出「誘發性多功能性幹細胞」（induced pluripotent stem cells,iPS）細胞株。
這些「誘發性多功能性幹細胞」就是所謂已接受過基因重編，以便成為類胚胎幹細胞狀態的成人細胞。
部分從新細胞株成長出來的細胞會直接失去Y染色體，成為XO細胞。
這些XO細胞注入到雌性老鼠胚胎並移植到代理孕鼠體內後，就會生下帶有原先雄性老鼠X染色體的幼鼠。
這些幼鼠長大與正常的雄性鼠交配後，生下的幼鼠無論雄性或雌性，都帶有有原先2位鼠爸爸的基因。
這份研究是由美國德州大學的癌症治療中心（MD Anderson Cancer Center）研究員所執行。
（譯者：中央社陳禹安）991209
WASHINGTON — US scientists have used stem cell technology to create mice from two fathers, an advance that they say could help preserve endangered species and even help same-sex couples have their own genetic children one day.
According to the study published Wednesday in the journal Biology of Reproduction, reproductive scientists in Texas were able to manipulate cells from a male (XY) mouse fetus to produce an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell line.
These iPS cells are adult cells that have undergone some genetic reprogramming in order to enter an embryonic stem cell-like state.
Some of the cells that were grown from this new line spontaneously lost their Y chromosome, turning them into XO cells.
Those XO cells were injected into embryos from donor female mice and transplanted into surrogate mouse moms who gave birth to babies with one X chromosome from the original male mouse.
Those babies grew and later mated with normal male mice. Their offspring, both male and female, showed genetic contributions from two fathers.
The study was led by Richard R. Berhringer at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Researchers said that with a variation of their technique, "it may also be possible to generate sperm from a female donor and produce viable male and female progeny with two mothers."
However, the study cautioned that the ability to replicate the findings in humans was a long way off.
The "generation of human iPS cells still requires significant refinements prior to their use for therapeutic purposes," the study said.
Previous research has found ways to create mice without any fathers at all, as well as ways to create mice with two mothers.
