Re-establishment of complement C6-deficient rabbit colony by cryopreserved sperm transported from abroad

Introducing rabbits as genetic materials into institutes for experimental animals from other colonies is essential for biomedical research. Currently, it is inconvenient to transport live rabbits from abroad, since they suffer from stress, are prone to accidents and must be inspected, as well as endure quarantine during the often long journey. To overcome these limitations of live animals, we transported sperm cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. Rabbit sperm was collected from complement C6-deficient rabbits in Germany and then transported to Japan using a dry-shipper containing liquid nitrogen. After thawing the frozen semen and artificial insemination (AI), eleven live pups were born. Subsequently, a homozygous C6-deficient rabbit colony was established.