The golden (Syrian) hamster as a model for the study of reproductive biology: Past, present, and future

Abstract

Background

The golden (Syrian) hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus) is a small rodent that belongs to the Cricetidae family. It has several unique features that are advantageous for the study of reproductive and developmental biology, including a consistent estrous cycle (4 days), high responsiveness to conventional superovulation regimens, and the short gestation period (16 days).

Methods

Based on the published reports, the development in assisted reproductive technology (ART) in the golden hamsters was summarized.

Main findings

The technical ease of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in this species has contributed to our understanding of the basic mechanisms of mammalian fertilization in the last century. However, a strong developmental block in vitro of hamster embryos and unavailability of gene‐modified strains has hampered its broader use in biomedical fields. A recently developed in vivo transfection method has enabled us to generate gene knockout hamsters without any major obstacles. It would be interesting to revisit the genes whose functions could not be identified using mouse models.

Conclusion

The authors expect that gene knockout hamsters might be able to substitute for mice—at least in part—for better understanding of gene functions in mammals including humans.