Ferreting out cloning success
With the cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1997 a milestone in veterinary science was reached. With this breakthrough, all kinds of options were opened to scientists. In terms of veterinary importance, resurrecting extinct species and conservation of present species immediately comes to mind.
However, complications involved with cloning have since become apparent to geneticists. It appears most species have unique difficulties that have to be overcome before successful cloning can be achieved. It is therefore impossible to create a model that encompasses any more than the one species. This means that the ability to clone any organism we wish is still far from our reach.
Recently, there has been success in cloning domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) for the first time. Critical to this achievement was the discovery that hormone treatment of the female ferrets prior to somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), usually used to promote super ovulation, has an adverse affect on the unfertilized ova (referred to as oocytes). Also critical for the facilitation of successful cloning was the method of fertilization. A final modification was to add two somatic cells into the perivitelline space, in order to increase the rate of fertilization and efficiency of SCNT.
This advance may be crucial in the conservation efforts for the black-footed ferret. Also, the potential for creating ferrets for use in studying transmittable and inherited human lung diseases had been achieved, as ferrets are an ideal animal model.
Post By Samantha SimpsonPrimary reference:
Li, Z., Suna, X., Chen, J., Liu, X., Wiseley, S., Zhou, Q., Renard, J., Leno, G., Engelhardt, J., 2006, ‘Cloned ferrets produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer’, Developmental Biology, vol 293 issue 2, pp 439-448
Secondary References:
Holt, W. Pickard, A., Prather, R., 2004, ‘Wildlife conservation and reproductive cloning’ Reproduction, vol 127, pp. 317-324.
