Developmental potential of bovine embryos reconstructed from enucleated matured oocytes fused with cultured somatic cells

C R Acad Sci III. 1998 Sep;321(9):735-45. doi: 10.1016/s0764-4469(98)80014-0.

Abstract

Muscle and skin biopsies taken from bovine fetuses and young calves have been used as a source of donor nuclei for cloning experiments. After culture, cells were individually fused to enucleated matured oocytes and the resulting blastocysts obtained after 7 d of culture (3-8% depending on the cell type) were transferred to foster recipient heifers. Two calves, a female and a male, both originating from muscle cells were born, and four additional pregnancies have surpassed mild-term gestation. The pregnancies include one fetus established from a transgenic nucleus from a fetal skin cell, and another one resulting from a skin biopsy performed on a female calf. Our data demonstrate that nuclei from cultured bovine somatic cells obtained from differentiated tissues can be made multipotent.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biopsy
  • Cattle
  • Cell Fusion / physiology*
  • Cell Nucleus / physiology
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cellular Senescence / physiology
  • Embryonic and Fetal Development* / physiology
  • Female
  • Male
  • Muscles / pathology
  • Oocytes / physiology*
  • Oocytes / ultrastructure
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Outcome
  • Skin / pathology