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Can you "grow" a human from 2 sets of same sex parent DNA? (lemm.ee)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

26 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Idk if this makes sense.

Obviously not via sexual reproduction but could a person's genetic parents be of the same sex and that person be genetically indistinguishable from the rest of the population?

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[–] [email protected] 61 points 2 weeks ago (10 children)

Interesting question, I found this

You can’t make a baby with two moms by simply fusing two eggs or adding one egg’s DNA to another’s. Even though the resulting embryo would have the usual 46 chromosomes, this wouldn’t work.

The reason isn’t some special string of A’s, G’s, T’s or C’s found in dad’s DNA. No, instead it has to do with chemical marks found on egg and sperm DNA. This methylation (as the marks are called) makes the DNA from each parent unique, and you need both to make a baby.

What these marks do is affect how at least 80 different genes are used. In science speak, these genes are imprinted.

As you may remember, we have two copies of each of our genes, one from each biological parent. The chemical marks shut off either the copy from the egg or sperm, depending on which has the marks present..

If an embryo’s DNA came from two parents of the same sex, then both copies of some of these imprinted genes will be shut off. And for the rest of these genes, both copies will be turned on. Embryos simply can’t survive when so many genes are out of whack. In fact, diseases like Angelman syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome can happen when just one of these genes isn’t passed on properly.

You can read more here if you’re curious

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (6 children)

I feel cheated by this answer because it seems like the limiting factor is in the natural process of embryo development and not in if the genetic material itself is compatible.

Further in the article it even says it could be possible from 2 sperm cells if you used stem cells to turn a sperm cell into an egg cell? So it is possible then. But only for males? Could you use stem cells to turn an egg cell into a sperm cell and accomplish a similar result from 2 egg cells?

....I'm left with a strong inconclusive as to whether it's possible :(

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

....I'm left with a strong inconclusive as to whether it's possible :(

Possible, yes. Possible with current technology and understanding, no.

The methylation of DNA and other ways that its functionality is modified is something that is studied in epigenetics. Such modifications can also be carriers of heritable traits (ex. a study on Icelandic families found that experiencing famine could change the likelihood of diabetes two generations later). Modifying methylation has also been investigated for treatment of genetic diseases.

Conceivably, epigenome editing could be used to modify the sperm/egg methylation to make them compatible. But, that's probably a ways a way from being practical.

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