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.
Eggan
Kevin
K
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
Baldwin
Kristin
K
Tackett
Michael
M
Osborne
Joseph
J
Gogos
Joseph
J
Chess
Andrew
A
Axel
Richard
R
Jaenisch
Rudolf
R
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