Cloning Facts

http://www.genome.gov/25020028

1. What does the term “clone” refer to?

An organism or a collection of genetically similar
organisms created by artificial or asexual means
from a single parent organism are referred to as
clones in biotechnology.
2. What biological materials have been
cloned?
Cloned biological materials include individual genes
or cells as well as species like plants and animals.
3. What are natural clones?
Natural clones are organisms that are produced
naturally through asexual reproduction, such as
bacteria reproducing by binary fission or plants
reproducing by vegetative propagation.
4. Name and describe the 3 types of clones.
Reproductive Clone: A genetically identical replica of
an organism made by methods like somatic cell
nuclear transfer (SCNT).
Genetically identical cells or tissues that are
produced for therapeutic purposes—typically for
medical treatments or research—are known as
therapeutic clones.
Gene clone: A duplicate of a particular gene,
frequently created by polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) methods.
5. Describe how animals are cloned.
The process of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT),
which involves inserting the nucleus of a somatic
cell (body cell) into an enucleated egg cell, is
commonly used to clone animals. After being given
stimulation to grow into an embryo, the egg cell
with the modified nucleus is transplanted into a
surrogate mother to aid in the gestation process.
6. What animals have been cloned?
Numerous animals, including as sheep (like Dolly
the sheep), cattle, pigs, dogs, cats, and others, have
been cloned.
7. Have humans been cloned?
None that have been reported
 8. Why would a clone look different than its’
surrogate?
Even in genetically similar species, differences in
phenotype can arise from changes in gene
expression brought about by environmental
influences and epigenetic alterations throughout
development.
9. List the potential applications of cloned
animals.
conservation of threatened species, the creation of
genetically altered animals for study, enhanced
breeding stock for use in farming, organ
replacement (sometimes known as
xenotransplantation), Drug testing and disease
modeling
10. List the drawbacks of cloned animals.
Defects and health problems in cloned animals,
decreased genetic variety
ethical issues pertaining to the mistreatment and
wellbeing of animals, High prices and difficult
technical issues
11. What is therapeutic cloning?
Therapeutic cloning involves the creation of cloned
embryos for the purpose of harvesting stem cells for
medical treatments and research.
12. List the applications of therapeutic cloning.
Regenerative medicine, Disease modeling, Drug
testing, Tissue engineering
13. List the drawbacks of therapeutic cloning.
Ethical concerns regarding the use of human
embryos, Technical challenges and safety concerns,
Potential for misuse or exploitation
14. List 2 ethical issues related to cloning.
Concerns about the welfare of cloned animals,
Debates over the moral status of cloned embryos
and the ethics of human cloning