Cloning of vertebrates: successes and problems
Koniukhov, B.V.
Genetika 33(12): 1605-1620
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0016-6758 PMID: 9493019 Document Number: 473366
Cloning of vertebrates, in particular, amphibians and mammals, is discussed. In the last decade, significant progress was made cloning mammals, while cloning of adult amphibians remained problematical. Low-traumatic methods of enucleation of recipient oocytes and transplantation of donor nuclei were worked out. In 1997, an adult sheep was cloned in Great Britain, thus demonstrating the possibility of cloning adult mammals. However, methods of cloning mammals need improvement because of the high lethality of reconstructed embryos (nuclear transplants). The use of in vitro cultured low-differentiated stem cells to obtain donor nuclei seems promising. Works on human cloning are not expedient in the near future because of technical and ethical aspects.