Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, 2007

When I was first approached to edit the present volume, I was somewhat reluc­ tant to undertake this humbling task because most of my own scientific expertise is derived fi'om studies of mammalian fertilization rather than somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). However, in the last ten years, I was very fortunate to train, col­ laborate, and communicate with a number of distinguished "doners," many of whom kindly agreed to contribute to the present volume. This experience made me appre­ ciate that the understanding of cellular and molecular events during and after SCNT is deeply rooted in our knowledge of fertilization of mammalian ovum by the speramatozoon, to which I prefer to refer to as "natural fertilization," not to say that SCNT should be regarded as "unnatural fertilization". Unique cellular events aris­ ing from SCNT have no parallel in natural fertilization and early pre-implantation development. The list includes the requirement of donor cell-nuclear remodeling, disposal of donor cell organelles, the possibility of heteroplasmy (i. e. , presence of mixed mitochondrial genomes) and altered mode of oocyte activation. Thanks to seminal contributions of my distinguished colleagues, the present volume reviews the progress of SCNT technology in major mammalian species including mouse, pig, and cattle, while at the same time, parallels can be drawn and distinctions made between the cellular and molecular basis of nuclear transfer and fertilization.

Nuclear Remodeling and Nuclear Reprogramming for Making Transgenic Pigs by Nuclear Transfer.- Somatic Cell Nuclei in Cloning.- Cloning Cattle.- Centrosome Inheritance after Fertilization and Nuclear Transfer in Mammals.- Developmental, Behavioral, and Physiological Phenotype of Cloned Mice.- Nudeolar Remodeling in Nuclear Transfer Embryos.- Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) in Mammals.- Mitochondrial DNA Inheritance after SCNT.- Activation of Fertilized and Nuclear Transfer Eggs.

Provides timely, refreshing new angle on the cellular and molecular events of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), one of the most exciting new biotechnologies of the last decade Written by a unique group of top experts in the field, the cellular events arising from SCNT procedure, such as the need for nuclear remodeling, disposal of donor cell organelles, presence of foreign mitochondrial DNA and altered mode of oocyte activation are explained