Question

Nuclear transplantation involves ______?

1) inserting a sperm cell into an egg cell in vitro
2) removing the nucleus of an egg cell and replacing it with the nucleus of a somatic cell
3) the use of reverse transcriptase to make copies of the genes that are being expressed
4) placing the nucleus from an egg cell into an enucleated somatic cell
5) the use of microarray analysis and RNA interference

Answer 1

Nuclear transplantation is the process of removing the nucleus of an egg cell and replacing it with the nucleus from a somatic cell, a key step in reproductive cloning using somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Step-by-step explanation:

Nuclear transplantation involves removing the nucleus of an egg cell and replacing it with the nucleus of a somatic cell. This process forms the core of reproductive cloning methods, specifically the technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). During SCNT, a somatic cell's nucleus, which contains the donor organism's DNA, is implanted into an enucleated egg cell (an egg cell that has had its nucleus removed). If properly stimulated, this can lead to the development of an embryo that is genetically identical to the donor organism.

Through this process, scientists can produce an artificial zygote that contains the necessary cytoplasmic material from the egg cell, combined with the genetic information from a donor. This enables the growth and development of a cloned organism, which is genetically identical to the donor. SCNT can be used for both therapeutic cloning, aimed at generating tissues or cells for medical treatments, and for reproductive cloning, the creation of a new organism.