REVIEW PAPER
Development of pig cloning studies: past, present
and future
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National Research Institute of Animal Production,
Department of Animal Reproduction,
32-083 Balice, Poland
Publication date: 2004-04-09
Corresponding author
M. Samiec
National Research Institute of Animal Production,
Department of Animal Reproduction,
32-083 Balice, Poland
J. Anim. Feed Sci. 2004;13(2):211-238
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ABSTRACT
The birth of the frst nuclear transfer-derived cloned piglet resulted from the transfer of a nucleus
from a 4-cell stage embryo to an enucleated oocyte. Although biotechnological procedures in swine
have recently undergone tremendous progress, the efficiency of pig somatic cloning is still lower
than in other species of farm animals and, when expressed as a proportion of reconstructed oocytes,
it does not exceed an average of 5 to 10% blastocysts and 1.5% born piglets. The basic prerequisite for practical application of this method is to improve efficiency. This requires further detailed
studies. Development of pig somatic cell cloning was inspired not only by the necessity for quick
improvement of the efficiency of the nuclear transfer technique in this species, but above all by
its possible practical application for multiplication of transgenic piglets, for use in transplantation
medicine and immunology, also pharmacy and animal breeding. A deficit of organs for human allotransplantation became a stimulus to the search for new, alternative sources of grafts. Therefore,
a particularly attractive aspect of pig somatic cloning is the possibility of generating large numbers
of transgenic pig organs for xenotransplantation. Compatibility with the human ones in size, anatomy, and physiology makes this an attractive proposition.
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