CONSERVATION OF ENDANGERED CURASSOWS THROUGH INTERSPECIFIC GERM CELL TRANSPLANTATION

• Grant number: 16/17158-4
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2017
• End date: April 30, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Jose Garcia Pereira
• Grantee: Ricardo Jose Garcia Pereira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo

Abstract

The Alagoas curassow (Pauxi mitu) is a pheasant-like bird from the Atlantic rain forest of the Northeastern Brazil that is considered extinct from the wild since 2004. In spite of the progress made in the last decades, in which total population increased from 3 individuals (1979) to nearly 170 (2015), its breeding program has struggled with serious problems regarding the founder population such as advanced age, prominent consanguinity, and high degree of hybridization with the razor-billed curassow (Pauxi tuberosa). This scenario emphasizes the importance of the reproductive biotechnologies for the genetic management of this species. Nevertheless, techniques that are well established in poultry (e.g. artificial insemination and semen cryopreservation) have limited applicability in cracids, and do not resolve issues as seminal quality in elder or infertile males. An alternative strategy to overcome some of these adversities is to preserve germplasm through intra or interspecific transplantation of germ cells. Recently, our research group demonstrated that transferring quail spermatogonia to prepubertal roosters led to complete restoration of the spermatogenesis, thus opening the perspective of using this tool in critical situations as in the Alagoas curassow case. Consequently, we aim to assess whether or not transferring spermatogonia from cracid species to recipient roosters will result colonization of the seminiferous tubules, and in case of donor-derived spermatogenesis, spermatozoa production. The data obtained here will serve as a starting point for the application of this approach in spreading genetic material of male Alagoas currasows considered old, subfertile or behaviorally inadequate. (AU)

Scientific publications

(8)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FREDIANI, MAYRA H.; GUIDA, FERNANDA J. V.; SALGADO, PAULA A. B.; GONCALVES, DEBORA R.; BLANK, MARCEL H.; NOVAES, GABRIEL A.; PEREIRA, RICARDO J. G.. Semen collection by electro-stimulation in a variety of bird orders. Theriogenology, v. 125, p. 140-151, FEB 2019. (16/17158-4, 12/08621-1)

BLANK, MARCEL HENRIQUE; GUIMARAES JR, PAULO ROBERTO; DO NASCIMENTO, LUCAS FERREIRA; PEREIRA, RICARDO JOSE GARCIA. Ecological drivers of breeding periodicity in four forest neotropical eagles. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 13, n. 1, p. 10-pg., 2023-03-16. (20/11479-9, 20/09286-8, 16/17158-4, 18/14809-0)

BLANK, MARCEL H.; SILVEIRA, LUIS F.; DUARTE, JOSE M. B.; MCGREW, MIKE J.; PEREIRA, RICARDO J. G.. Capturing avian somatic cells using feather pulp fibroblast culture as a non-invasive approach to biobanking endangered birds. Cytotechnology, v. 77, n. 5, p. 17-pg., 2025-09-08. (20/11479-9, 17/23548-2, 16/17158-4, 22/03780-6)

BLANK, MARCEL H.; RUIVO, LOURENCO P.; NOVAES, GABRIEL A.; LEMOS, EVELYN C.; LOSANO, JOAO D. A.; SIQUEIRA, ADRIANO F. P.; PEREIRA, RICARDO J. G.. Assessing different liquid-storage temperatures for rooster spermatozoa. Animal Reproduction Science, v. 233, OCT 2021. (16/17158-4)

BLANK, MARCEL HENRIQUE; GOISSIS, MARCELO DEMARCHI; AZEREDO, ROBERTO MOTTA DE AVELAR; SILVEIRA, LUIS FABIO; PEREIRA, RICARDO JOSE GARCIA. Safeguarding genetic resources of curassow through cryopreservation and transplantation of post-mortem recovered testicular cells into recipient roosters. THERIOGENOLOGY WILD, v. 4, p. 8-pg., 2024-01-01. (16/17158-4, 20/11479-9, 17/23548-2)

HU, TUANJUN; PURDY, PHILLIP H.; BLANK, MARCEL H.; MUHONJA, CHRISTINE K.; PEREIRA, RICARDO J. G.; TIAMBO, CHRISTIAN K.; MCGREW, MIKE J.. Direct in vitro propagation of avian germ cells from an embryonic gonad biorepository. POULTRY SCIENCE, v. 103, n. 11, p. 9-pg., 2024-09-07. (22/03780-6, 20/11479-9, 16/17158-4, 17/23548-2)

VIEIRA, SAMIRA EMANUELA MARIA; GREGO, KATHLEEN FERNANDES; BLANK, MARCEL HENRIQUE; NOVAES, GABRIEL AUGUSTO; SILVEIRA, GIOVANNI PEREZ MACHADO DA; PEREIRA, RICARDO JOSE GARCIA. The annual ovarian cycle in Northern pit vipers (Bothrops atrox) using serum steroids and ultrasound of the female reproductive tract. General and Comparative Endocrinology, v. 357, p. 9-pg., 2024-08-12. (12/08621-1, 08/57898-0, 16/17158-4)

BLANK, MARCEL HENRIQUE; SILVA, VICTOR CARVALHO; RUI, BRUNO ROGERIO; NOVAES, GABRIEL AUGUSTO; CASTIGLIONE, VIVIAN CARDOSO; GARCIA PEREIRA, RICARDO JOSE. Beneficial influence of fetal bovine serum on in vitro cryosurvival of chicken spermatozoa. CRYOBIOLOGY, v. 95, p. 103-109, AUG 2020. (16/17158-4, 17/19163-8)