Nuclear transplantation as a method of producing genetically identical livestock

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Abstract
Genetic variation is a problem faced by both researchers and producers. One method to reduce genetic variation is to clone embryos by nuclear transfer. Implementation, involves transferring nuclei from a morula stage embryo to unfertilized oocytes from which the metaphase II chromosomes have been removed. Since each of the nuclei from the original morula stage embryo are genetically identical, each of the embryos that are a result of nuclear transfer have identical nuclear genetics. The original morula stage embryo, relatively speaking, is more differentiated than a one‐cell stage embryo. Thus for the resulting nuclear transfer embryo to continue in development the transferred nuclei must be remodeled to resemble nuclei of a one‐cell stage embryo and be reprogrammed in their developmental cascade of events to behave as nuclei of a one‐cell stage embryo. The potential applications of producing genetically identical individuals range from reducing the number of animals needed for experimentation to providing a more uniform product in the freezer at the grocery store. Unfortunately, the procedures for producing cloned animals by nuclear transfer are still relatively inefficient. There is a need for more basic research to be conducted in understanding mammalian embryogenesis for the application of this and other biotechnologies.