Some Facts about Cloning

Here is a great website that can answer some basic questions about cloning. Check it out! I've copied some of the most interesting/important information below to be used as reference for the rest of this blog.
full article link: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml

In 1997, the first mammal was successfully cloned. (Previously, in the early 1960s, an South African frog and an Asian carp had both been cloned.) Scottish scientists at Roslin Institute succeeded in creating a sheep named Dolly through the process of nuclear transfer--Dolly was genetically identical to her mother. The creation of Dolly raised the possibility of human cloning, and "aroused worldwide interest and concern because of its scientific and ethical implications."There are many different kinds of cloning. Three types are especially important to know about.

1. Recombinant DNA Technology or DNA Cloning:
"The terms 'recombinant DNA technology,' 'DNA cloning,' 'molecular cloning,' and 'gene cloning' all refer to the same process: the transfer of a DNA fragment of interest from one organism to a self-replicating genetic element such as a bacterial plasmid. The DNA of interest can then be propagated in a foreign host cell. This technology has been around since the 1970s, and it has become common practice in molecular biology labs today."

Essentially, DNA cloning involves isolating the gene of interest (such as a gene coding for the production of GFP, green florescent protein). This gene is cut out of the DNA,

using specific enzymes, and inserted into a vector of some sort, often a plasmid. This plasmid can then be inserted into a host of some sort, perhaps a mouse. Then, as the host cells replicate, the hope is that the plasmid DNA--along with the gene of interest--will replicated as well, and many exact copies of the gene will be made. If the gene can also be turned on, GFP will be produced in the mouse and the mouse may begin to glow green. The specific gene, then, is what is being cloned.

2. Reproductive Cloning:"Reproductive cloning is a technology used to generate an animal that has the same nuclear DNA as another currently or previously existing animal. Dolly was created by reproductive cloning technology. In a process called 'somatic c

ell nuclear transfer' (SCNT), scientists transfer genetic material from the nucleus of a donor adult cell to an egg whose nucleus, and thus its genetic material, has been removed. The reconstructed egg containing the DNA from a donor cell must be treated with chemicals or electric current in order to stimulate cell division. Once the cloned embryo reaches a suitable stage, it is transferred to the uterus of a female host where it continues to develop until birth."

This type of cloning is most controversial, and what most people think of when they think of cloning--making an exact copy of an entire animal, or potentially a human. In many ways, this type of cloning is not very practical. But some companies do exist that offer cloning services to pet-owners, who want to clone their pets for whatever reasons. As reproductive cloning technology improves, many new questions will have to be answered. Should the government regulate human cloning? Is human cloning ethical? Would you want to be cloned, or for someone you know to be cloned? In the future, these questions may become real concerns that future generations will grapple with.

3. Therapeutic Cloning:
"Therapeutic cloning, also called 'embryo cloning,' is the production of human embryos for use in research. The goal of this process is not to create cloned human beings, but rather to

harvest stem cells that can be used to study human development

and to treat disease. Stem cells are important to biomedical researchers because they can be used

to generate virtually any type of specialized cell in the human body. Stem cells are extracted from the egg after it has divided for 5 days. The egg at this stage of development is called a blastocyst. The extraction process 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."

Look on the website (link above) for more information about the uses

of cloning technologies, the risks of cloning, and more!

C. Heard