Growth and Hematologic Characteristics of Cloned Dogs Derived from Adult Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Abstract

Three viable female dogs, which have the same genotype, have been successfully produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT); however, data on the growth pattern of cloned dogs are lacking. Thus, the aim of this study was (1) to assess growth parameters among those cloned dogs with measurement of body weight, height, and radiographic analysis of skull size and bone plate, and (2) to compare hematologic characteristics among the donor dog, cloned dogs, and age-matched control dogs. The cloned dogs were kept in the same environmental conditions. The body weight increased from 0.52, 0.46, and 0.52 kg at birth to 21.9, 22.9, and 20.4 kg at 68 weeks of age for individual cloned dogs, respectively. The withers height increased from 34.5, 32.6, and 35.2 cm at 8 weeks of age to 67.1 cm at 68 weeks of age in the three clones. The radiographic data demonstrated that patterns of bone growth were similar among cloned dogs, and all measured parameters of matured cloned dogs were similar with that of the fully grown donor dog. An age-specific pattern was identified on hematologic and serum biochemical measurements in both cloned dogs and age-matched controls. The parameters examined were within the normal reference ranges for healthy dogs. In conclusion, three genetically identical cloned dogs showed similar growth characteristics and had normal hematological and serum biochemical parameters.