Cloning

Definition of Clone: Noun a :  the aggregate of genetically identical cells or organisms asexually produced by a single progenitor cell or organism b :  an individual grown from a single somatic cell or cell nucleus and genetically identical to it c :  a group of replicas of all or part of a macromolecule and especially DNA (for instance you can clone a gene) Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Reproductive Cloning Reproductive cloning generates an animal that has the same DNA as another currently or previously existing animal.

Natural reproductive cloning occurs in sexual reproduction when an embryo early in development splits in two to produce identical twins.

Natural reproductive cloning of organisms also occurs when organisms reproduce without having sex (asexual reproduction) Single cell organisms (Bacteria,amoeba) Anemones and hydra Stick bugs Some lizards, snakes and frogs Some plants

Methods of Reproductive Cloning of Organisms Embryo splitting- Artificially splitting a single embryo at a very early stage of development. Because this is done at an early stage and there are usually less than eight cells you can only make a few clones.

In 1998, scientists at the University of Hawaii produced the first mouse clones using embryo splitting.                   

Tetra, a healthy female rhesus monkey, has been produced by embryo splitting.                     

Methods of Reproductive Cloning of Organisms Somatic Cells Nuclear Transfer Genetic material (nucleus from embryonic, fetal, or adult cell) is removed and placed into an unfertilized egg, whose nucleus has been removed. This has the potential to create the clone of an adult organism as well as many clones at once.

In 1952 Robert Briggs and Thomas King create the first cloned animal when they place embryonic cells from a Northern Leopard frog into an egg from which the nucleus has been removed.

This was the first mammal to ever be cloned.                 Dolly is a sheep that was cloned in 1996 from fully differentiated adult mammary cells. This was the first mammal to ever be cloned.

In January of 2001, Noah the Gaur is born In January of 2001, Noah the Gaur is born. Noah was the first endangered animal to be successfully cloned.                    

In December of 2001, Carbon Copy was born at Texas A&M University. CC was created by transplanting DNA from a female calico cat into an egg cell whose nucleus had been removed. They then implanted this embryo into the surrogate tabby.  .                  

Plans are underway to even clone a mammoth- a species which has been extinct for around 4,500 years!  .                  

How can cloning technologies be used? Reproductive Cloning Create valuable livestock for farmers Wool, meat, milk productivity Animal conservation

Therapeutic Cloning Also called "embryo cloning," is the production of embryos for use in research The goal of this process is not to create cloned humans, but rather to harvest stem cells that can be used to study human development and to treat disease.

Therapeutic Cloning The extraction of stem cells at day five of embryo development destroys the embryo, which raises a variety of ethical concerns. Many researchers hope that one day stem cells can be used to serve as replacement cells to treat heart disease, Alzheimer's, cancer, and other diseases.