Cloning

Question 1

Cloning steps

Answer 1

1. take any cell from the body (eg. skin) but it has to be a somatic cell
2. take an egg cell (ovum) from the ovary of a female
3. take the nucleus out of the egg cell
4. put together the cell from the body and egg without the nucleus. It will then start to multiply, forming a microscopic ball of many identical cells
5. in about 6 days, place in the uterus of any female
6. in about nine months a baby will be born, just like the one from the somatic cell, an identical twin, without any genetic characteristic of the female who gave the egg cell, provided the uterus and gave birth.

Question 2

Donor somatic cell

Answer 2

A non-reproductive, body cell taken from the organism to be cloned.
Examples: Skin cells, mammary gland cells, muscle cells.

Question 3

Enucleated Egg

Answer 3

An egg cell (oocyte) from which the nucleus has been removed.

Question 4

Surrogate Mother

Answer 4

A female organism into which the cloned embryo is implanted and it carries the developing embryo to term, but has no genetic contribution to the clone.

Question 5

Explain how cloned offspring are genetically identical to the donor.

Answer 5

Cloned offspring are genetically identical to the donor because they receive the donor’s full nuclear DNA. The egg’s nucleus is removed and replaced with the donor’s, so the embryo develops using only the donor’s genetic instructions. Minor differences may come from the egg’s mitochondrial DNA.