9/3/11

Genetics Task B

Keisha Nguyen 10G

Cloning
Cloning is one of the most controversial topics discussed today as it raises questions around ethics. The term cloning refers to the process of creating an identical copy of an organism or part of an organism. The following factors discussed and presented will review the basis of cloning as well as the possibilities and negatives associated with it.

What has been cloned?

Cloning is used in many places globally including Scotland, where the first successful clone of an adult mammal occurred. In 1997, Dolly the lamb was born and was found to be genetically identical to its mother. During the year 2000, Australia also had its first cloned sheep and calf. Other animals which have been cloned are domestic cats, cows, pigs, mice, rhesus monkeys and mules. Human embryos have also been cloned, but it is controversial and much conflict has come about due to this.

Dolly the sheep the first mammal to be successfully cloned http://science.howstuffworks.com/environme ntal/life/genetic/cloning.htm

The types of cloning

There are three main types of cloning which include: Therapeutic, Reproductive and DNA cloning. Not all cloning is artificial as identical twins are a natural form of human cloning. Therapeutic cloning is also known as embryo cloning. The extraction of stem cells takes place and are harvested in order for research and repairing injuries. The process of cloning an entire organism is known to be called, Reproductive cloning. This allows animals or plants to be repeated from the original organism. Lastly, there is DNA cloning or recombinant DNA technology. This type of cloning is the least controversial as it only replicates the DNA of a cell.

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9/3/11

Genetics Task B

Keisha Nguyen 10G

Cloning
How is cloning done?
Therapeutic cloning works by extracting DNA from the cells of a person. The DNA is then cloned by being inserting into a human embryo to divide over the process of 5 days. Stem cells are then extracted and are studied and used for many purposes which were stated earlier.

Therapeutic cloning diagram

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.arhp.org/uploadIma ges/cloning_5.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.arhp.org/publications-andresources/patient-resources/printedmaterials/cloning&usg=__bRqJe9Wk3eECM58IWubI6eDFfUQ=&h=352& w=595&sz=36&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=jJ0zaan_X_5I9M:&tbnh=1 02&tbnw=173&ei=8jh5TcWADMG3ce3G3awE&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dth Another way cloning works is through a process called, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). During erapeutic%2Bcloning%2Bdiagram%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX% reproductive cloning, a cell from a donor adult is removed and implanted into an egg which has had 26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D555%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc its nucleus removed. The egg or embryo is left to develop for several days and is then transferred &vpx=786&vpy=99&dur=28351&hovh=173&hovw=292&tx=173&ty=67& into a host mother where it is left to fully develop. oei=8jh5TcWADMG3ce3G3awE&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0 Somatic Body Cell with desired genes Cell fused with denucleated egg cell Clone
Diagram of SCNT http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h ttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IdExwjB1Kc/TUgXvqxPcXI/AAAAAAAAHbQ/ /02cloning.html&usg=__2AfxrobnMzKvfb7 qs3P-

Egg cell Nucleus removed REPRODUCTIVE CLONING Surrogate mother

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9/3/11

Genetics Task B

Keisha Nguyen 10G

Cloning
A fragment of DNA from an organism is isolated using enzymes and is then transferred to a selfreplication genetic element called bacterial plasmid, during DNA cloning. Plasmids are also known as vector. The name given to the DNA fragment once combined with the vector is recombinant DNA molecule. After replications have occurred, the copied DNA can then be inserted into a foreign host cell, where it will reproduce along with the host cell DNA.

The process of DNA cloning

http://cloning-fordummies.tripod.com/dnacloning.gif

The future possibilities of cloning

There are endless possibilities to where cloning can lead to in the near future. An Idea that has arisen is infertility treatment. This would result in a solution for individuals or couples who are unable to have children of their own. The idea of cloning endangered species or already extinct animals has also come to mind. Cloning dead specimens and growing them into wombs of similar or related animals may be able to bring extinct species back to life. Another great possibility of cloning is disease treatment. This would allow scientists to reprogram cells, which would help many people including diabetics. Skin cells could become reprogrammed into insulin producing cells in the pancreas and then introduced into the pancreas of a diabetes patient. This would then allow them to produce insulin. Other diseases which could become treated through cloning include: Parkinsons disease, Leukaemia, Alzheimers and possibly even cancer. Through cloning, organ transplantation could become a more successful future process. People today still risk rejection of organ transplants. Through nuclear transfer, the production of transgenic animals- which are animals that have been inserted with new genes, could provide human proteins on their cell surfaces to reduce the risk of rejection during the process of organ transplants. With further stem cell research, burn victims who need a skin transplant may be able to get new skin cells produced from their own cells. At the moment, the current method used to breed elite livestock, is not very efficient. This is because it only provides half the amount of elite genes in result of artificial insemination. With cloning, the entire gene set of an elite individual will be produced, providing the best produce. There are an endless amount of options and possibilities in the future of cloning.

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9/3/11

Genetics Task B

Keisha Nguyen 10G

Cloning
What are the disadvantages of cloning?
Although cloning may be the solution to various things, problems will arise from it also. The first concern would be ethical issues related to cloning. It is an unnatural way of reproduction and it is thought that the world would be unbalanced because natural resources will run short due to the domination of cloning. Cloning raises many issues and questions are asked like; Is it ethically right to harvest organs from clones?, Does an embryo, at whatever stage of its existence, have the same rights as human beings? or Is it justified to create stem cells by killing a human embryo?. The lack of DNA diversity is also another disadvantage of cloning. Diversity is needed to improve survival in the future, especially when unpredictable changes take place. By fully cloning plants and animals, its DNA variants will gradually disappear and only one type may remain. If a virus or disease comes along and wipe out the species, there will be no other DNA to create the species again. Another con of cloning is that genetic changes and variations will continually need to be made in the future, as problems will occur because of the unnatural process of reproduction. Another negative issue regarding cloning is the potential cost of. There is a higher rate of failure concerning cloning and it has proven to be far more expensive to clone rather than reproduce animals other ways.

The topic of cloning is huge and debateable. Cloning shows that there are endless possibilities in the near future and that there are many issues related to cloning which are not all covered, creating many questions concerning it. There are many benefits with cloning, yet disadvantages at the same time. Based on researched information, I believe that cloning may be a good idea for many reasons including disease treatment and the possibility of cloning endangered species. This will provide effective solutions for the many problems occurring today. On the other hand, Scientists may take cloning too far, which could exploit all humankind and life on earth as everything may become too artificial and unnatural, disrupting the natrual balance on Earth.

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