title: [Nuclear transfer and therapeutic cloning].
abstract: Nuclear transfer and therapeutic cloning have widespread and attractive prospects in animal agriculture and biomedical applications. We reviewed that the quality of oocytes and nuclear reprogramming of somatic donor cells were the main reasons of the common abnormalities in cloned animals and the low efficiency of cloning and showed the problems and outlets in therapeutic cloning, such as some basic problems in nuclear transfer affected clinical applications of therapeutic cloning. Study on isolation and culture of nuclear transfer embryonic stem (ntES) cells and specific differentiation of ntES cells into important functional cells should be emphasized and could enhance the efficiency. Adult stem cells could help to cure some great diseases, but could not replace therapeutic cloning. Ethics also impeded the development of therapeutic cloning. It is necessary to improve many techniques and reinforce the research of some basic theories, then somatic nuclear transfer and therapeutic cloning may apply to agriculture reproduction and benefit to human life better.
authors.affiliation: Northwest Sci-Tech University of Agriculture and Forestry, Shaanxi Center of Stem Cell Engineering & Technology, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: An-Min
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Jin-Lian
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Zhong-Ying
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Dou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D065150:Cellular Reprogramming; D019976:Cloning, Organism / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D006801:Humans; D053652:Nuclear Transfer Techniques