Mice cloned from olfactory sensory neurons.
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.
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
Kevin
K
Eggan
Kristin
K
Baldwin
Michael
M
Tackett
Joseph
J
Osborne
Joseph
J
Gogos
Andrew
A
Chess
Richard
R
Axel
Rudolf
R
Jaenisch
D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics; D019976:Cloning, Organism; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051379:Mice; D053652:Nuclear Transfer Techniques; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology; D011123:Polyploidy; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000378:metabolism; D039901:Totipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism
D018035:Receptors, Odorant