Alternative strategies for nuclear reprogramming in Somatic Cell Nuclear transfer (SCNT)

P. Loi,P. Toschi,M. Czernik,D. Iuso,L. Palazzese

doi:10.21451/1984-3143-ar915

Abstract

Twenty years passed by since the production of Dolly the sheep, but despite significant technical progress has been achieved in the manipulation procedures, the proportion of offspring following transfer of SCNT embryos has remained almost unchanged in farm animals. Remarkable progress has been obtained instead in laboratory animals, particularly by Japanese Groups, in the mouse. However, the nuclear reprogramming strategies tested in mouse do not always work in farm animals, and others are difficult to be implemented, for require complicated molecular biology tools unavailable yet in large animals. In this review we put in contest the previous work done in farm and laboratory animals with recent achievements obtained in our laboratory, and we also indicate a road map to increase the reliability of SCNT procedures.

Highlights

The nuclear transfer of a somatic cell into an enucleated oocyte (SCNT) holds a great potential as a breeding tool for the making of “geno-copies” of high genetic merit, endangered and transgenic animals
Twenty years passed by since the production of Dolly the sheep, but despite significant technical progress has been achieved in the manipulation procedures, the proportion of offspring following transfer of SCNT embryos has remained almost unchanged in farm animals
The nuclear reprogramming strategies tested in mouse do not always work in farm animals, and others are difficult to be implemented, for require complicated molecular biology tools unavailable yet in large animals

Summary

Introduction

The nuclear transfer of a somatic cell into an enucleated oocyte (SCNT) holds a great potential as a breeding tool for the making of “geno-copies” of high genetic merit, endangered and transgenic animals. Its full application is still hampered by the low efficiency of the SCNT. The ensuing sections provide a broad view of the progress in SCNT, and highlight the unresolved problems. The latest and most promising approaches for nuclear reprogramming, including the one developed by our group, are described along with pitfalls and advantages

Background