Tasmanian tiger DNA comes alive in mouse
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Breakthrough: The mouse with tiger DNA (Andrew Pask and Richard Behringer)
A University of Melbourne team has broken new ground, extracting genes from the extinct tasmanian tiger and bringing them back to life in another living creature.
The team put the thylacine DNA into a mouse embryo in what the university's Dr Andrew Pask says is the first time DNA from an extinct species has been used "to induce a functional response in another living organism."
The thylacine DNA reproduced in the mouse's body and showed biological function, reviving hopes that the tiger may one day be successfully cloned.
The findings will be published in an international scientific journal tomorrow.
They show that one of the thylacine genes is similar to the mouse gene that develops cartilage and bone.
Professor Marilyn Renfree, who was also involved in the research, said the discovery was critical.
"For those species that have already become extinct, our method shows that access to their genetic biodiversity may not be completely lost," she said.
However she said cloning a tasmanian tiger was still a long way off.
Dean of Science at the University of New South Wales, Mike Archer, led a project to revive the extinct animals through recovered DNA.
Professor Archer has told ABC Local Radio he believes that aim may now be within reach.
"The next question then is, well what if you did that with the whole of the DNA of the thylacine?" he said.
"Could you in fact bring back a thylacine? Technically I think this is pretty difficult at the moment but on the other hand this is one very significant step in that direction and I'm delighted."
Professor Archer is hopeful the thylacine can be brought back in his lifetime.
"I'm personally convinced this is going to happen. We are working on a number of projects like this. I've got another group working on another extinct Australian animal and we think this is highly probable," he said.
The last tasmanian tiger died in the Hobart Zoo in 1936.
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