Lecture 10 Flashcards
clone
genetically identical copy of an organism
cloning
procedures to create exact replica of a cell, tissue or organism
Natural clone
identical twins
why genetically clone?
- improved productivity/welfare
-disease resistance - reduce environmental footprint
- preserve endangered wild species
- animals as bioreactors - biomedicine/organs
what is a blastomere
cells formed through early division of a zygote
how do blastomeres form
through cleavage divisions
blastomeres are formed at what stage
2 -4cell stage
what can each blastomere develop into
an individual organism; one cell type
how many cell types are present at the blastocyst stage
2 cell types
describe the process of embryo twinning
- single cell zygote has undergone first cell division
- then the two zygotes are separated
- embryo is transferred to an unrelated surrogate mother
- sheep can give birth to identical twins
what are the pros and cons of embryo twinning
it mimics natural process but only limited number of clones can be produced
who is dolly the sheep
cloned sheep produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer
describe the process of SCNT
1a. remove nucleus of oocyte from cytoplasmic donor (enucleation)
1b. obtain donor nucleus from nucleus donor
2. introduce donor nucleus into enucleated oocyte
(nucleus of oocyte is replaced by nucleus of somatic cell)
(DNA of somatic cell is reprogrammed to pluripotent stem cell state)
3. transfer blastocyst to surrogate
(blastocyst develops into fetus in surrogate and a clone of the nucleus donor is born)
describe the general timeline of animal cloning (earliest to latest)
- sheep: embryo splitting
- cattle: embryo splitting
- sheep: embryo cloning
- cattle: embryo cloning
- sheep fetal and adult SCNT
- cattle: fetal and adult SCNT
- goat, pig
8.cat - horse
- dog
- camel
how can you clone for conservation
interspecies somatic nuclear cell transfer
what is an ex. of interpecies somatic nuclear transfer being used
domestic dog oocytes being used to clone coyotes - hybrid embryo
what are some potential problems of interspecies somatic nuclear cell transfer
- nuclear DNA of cloned species, mitochondrial DNA from surrogate mother express genes necessary for energy production –> if there is no fit, developmental problems
- embryo tissue/ placenta is recognized as foreign by immune system of surrogate mother
define reprogramming
the process of resetting adult nuclear DNA to the early development/pluripotent pattern of gene expression
(aka bringing differentiated somatic cell back to stem cell state)
why do problems sometimes occur during SCNT
Reprogramming is problematic!
- switching on and off gene expression: errors in reprogramming may lead to abnormalities in gene expression in cloned animals and affect the health and longevity of the animal
- epigenetic changes:, DNA methylation, histone modifications, imprinting, X-chromosome inactivation, chromatin remodelling
…. can lead to: pregnancy losss, congenital abnormalities and postnatal mortality
what is cloning
generating genetically identical copies of cells, tissues and organisms
what is embryo twinning
microsurgical dissection of blastomeres at an early embryonal stage (2-4 cell stage); each blastomere can develop into an individual animal in surrogate mother
(aka. separate blastomeres –> each blastomere develops into a separate blastocyst)