MadSci Network: Genetics
Query:

Subject: can we not clone using just one animal?

Date: Sat Jan 6 19:06:54 2007
Posted by shourya
Grade level: 10-12 School: wilsons school
City: sutton State/Province: london Country: united kingdom
Area of science: Genetics
ID: 1168135614.Ge
Message:

thankyou sir. but what if the individual being cloned is a female and can 
produce healthy eggs and there is nothing wrong with it's fertility. i 
basically want to know why cant we reinject the fused egg-somatic cell nucleus 
back into the individual. why do we have to place it in another individual. i 
do know that it is not possible to have eggs growing into adults ex utero, but 
why does it haev to be a surrogate uterus as opposed to the uterus of the same 
individual being cloned.thanks



Response:


Re: can we not clone using just one animal?

Greetings Shourya,

Thanks for submitting your question about cloning to the MadSci Network. I am 
pleased to let you know that questions related to yours have been answered 
on our site. Take a look at this answer : 
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-11/974220487.Ge.r.html

You can also use our search engine to locate answers containing the word(s) 
cloning OR cloning dolly:
http://www.madsci.org/MS_search.html

Current cloning technology does not guarantee that a single nuclear transfer from
a somatic cell into an anucleated ovum will result in a healthy cloned animal. For
example, the famous Dolly the cloned sheep was the only one of 277 embryos 
created via somatic cell nuclear transfer to survive implantation and develop to
full term. Two-hundred seventy seven surrogate sheep were needed in order to
develop one cloned sheep. With advances in technology, the number of surrogates
required has been reduced, but we are a long way from a one embryo - one cloned
animal relationship. For example, "CC" (carbon copy) the cloned calico cat was the 
only one of 87 embryos created by somatic cell nuclear transfer to survive to birth. 
Take a look at this article for more information about CC and Rainbow (the original):
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/02/0214_021402copycat.html

In addition, the animal from which the somatic cell nucleus has been taken (the
animal you are trying to clone) is usually not some random animal. It has a 
particular genotype that makes it valuable enough to go to the expense to clone 
it. Assuming that this animal was female, you would not want to jeopardize its 
health by implanting it with a cloned embryo. The fetuses that develop from cloned
embryos are often larger (considerably larger in some cases) than fetuses that
have developed from normally conceived embryos, and this can pose a health
risk to the surrogate. You would want to protect your valuable animal from
such health risks. Take a look at this cloning information page, and scroll down
to the section about problems associated with cloning:
http://www.pub.ac.za/factfile/cloning.html

If, after reviewing the previous answers, you still have a question, feel free to 
submit a new question, but please be sure to tell us that you have already 
searched the archives, along with what is not in the archives that you want to 
have additional information about, or what in the the archived answers you do 
not understand. This will help us to give you the best answer possible.

Cheers!

Steve Mack, Moderator MadSci Network

_______________________________________________________________
thankyou sir. but what if the individual being cloned is a female and can 
produce healthy eggs and there is nothing wrong with it's fertility. i 
basically want to know why cant we reinject the fused egg-somatic cell nucleus 
back into the individual. why do we have to place it in another individual. i 
do know that it is not possible to have eggs growing into adults ex utero, but 
why does it haev to be a surrogate uterus as opposed to the uterus of the same 
individual being cloned.thanks


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