Is there any significant in Dolly the sheep being cloned using a mammary cell. Couldn't any other somatic cell have been used. Someone said to me that it's because mammary cells are similar to stem cells which I'm sure can't be true because they would have had to differentiate to become mammary cells.
I ask because every diagram, picture I see of nuclear transfer cloning is of sheep and in every diagragm a mammary cell is used. Is this simply beacuse this is the type of somatic cell taken from Dolly, could any other somatic cell be used?
you are correct - it was the first and that's why is the common example used. As you say since then cloning has been done with other somatic cells - most commonly (because of ease of access) keratinocytes from the skin.
Experts: login to post a reply
David Wynick
Peter Falkingham
Ajna Rivera
