variation and evolution - cloning animals Flashcards
1
Q
stages to cloning using embryo transplants
example horses but can be any mammal
A
- start with sperm and an egg cell from horses (any mammal) either characteristics that we want
- fertilisation produces a fertilised egg
- allow fertilised egg to develop into an early stage embryo. important cells in embryo have not started to specialise/change into specific cell type
- use glass rod to split embryo into two
- transplant 2 embryos into host mothers where embryos will develop and grow. when animals born we will get 2 identical offspring (clones)
2
Q
problem with embryo transplant? solution?
A
because we start with sperm and an egg we cannot be certain that the offspring will have the characteristics that we want. we can overcome this problem by using adult cell cloning.
3
Q
benefit of adult cell cloning
A
we are cloning from an adult which means that we know the characteristics that the clone will have
4
Q
steps to adult sell cloning (example sheep)
A
- remove a cell from the animal that we want to clone (example, skin cell)
- then remove nucleus from the cell. The nucleus contains genetic information from the animal that we are cloning.
- next take an unfertilised egg cell from the same species (in this case any female sheep)
- then remove the nucleus from the unfertilised egg and throw it away. fertilised egg now contains no genetic material.
- now insert the nucleus from the original adult body cell into the empty cell
- egg cell now contains only genetic information from the animal that we are cloning
- give the egg an electric shock which causes the cell to divide to form an embryo. these emperor cells contain the same genetic information as the adult skin cell that we started with.
- when embryo has developed into a ball of cells, it is inserted into the womb of an adult female to continue its development
- host mother then give birth to the clone. The clone looks nothing like the host mother as the clone contains none of her genetic material
