Mice cloned from olfactory sensory neurons

K Eggan, K Baldwin, M Tackett, J Osborne, J Gogos… - Nature, 2004 - nature.com
K Eggan, K Baldwin, M Tackett, J Osborne, J Gogos, A Chess, R Axel, R Jaenisch
Nature, 2004nature.com
Cloning by nuclear transplantation has been successfully carried out in various mammals,
including mice. Until now mice have not been cloned from post-mitotic cells such as
neurons. Here, we have generated fertile mouse clones derived by transferring the nuclei of
post-mitotic, olfactory sensory neurons into oocytes. These results indicate that the genome
of a post-mitotic, terminally differentiated neuron can re-enter the cell cycle and be
reprogrammed to a state of totipotency after nuclear transfer. Moreover, the pattern of …
Abstract
Cloning by nuclear transplantation has been successfully carried out in various mammals, including mice. Until now mice have not been cloned from post-mitotic cells such as neurons. Here, we have generated fertile mouse clones derived by transferring the nuclei of post-mitotic, olfactory sensory neurons into oocytes. These results indicate that the genome of a post-mitotic, terminally differentiated neuron can re-enter the cell cycle and be reprogrammed to a state of totipotency after nuclear transfer. Moreover, the pattern of odorant receptor gene expression and the organization of odorant receptor genes in cloned mice was indistinguishable from wild-type animals, indicating that irreversible changes to the DNA of olfactory neurons do not accompany receptor gene choice.
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