Global gene expression profiles reveal significant nuclear reprogramming by the blastocyst stage after cloning.
Nuclear transfer (NT) has potential applications in agriculture and biomedicine, but the technology is hindered by low efficiency. Global gene expression analysis of clones is important for the comprehensive study of nuclear reprogramming. Here, we compared global gene expression profiles of individual bovine NT blastocysts with their somatic donor cells and fertilized control embryos using cDNA microarray technology. The NT embryos' gene expression profiles were drastically different from those of their donor cells and closely resembled those of the naturally fertilized embryos. Our findings demonstrate that the NT embryos have undergone significant nuclear reprogramming by the blastocyst stage; however, problems may occur during redifferentiation for tissue genesis and organogenesis, and small reprogramming errors may be magnified downstream in development.
Smith
Sadie L
SL
Center for Regenerative Biology/Department of Animal Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
Everts
Robin E
RE
Tian
X Cindy
XC
Du
Fuliang
F
Sung
Li-Ying
LY
Rodriguez-Zas
Sandra L
SL
Jeong
Byeong-Seon
BS
Renard
Jean-Paul
JP
Lewin
Harris A
HA
Yang
Xiangzhong
X
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002417:Cattle; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D019976:Cloning, Organism; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D007315:Insemination, Artificial; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics
D012333:RNA, Messenger