Copy cat. (Life News).WHY SHOULD a cat settle for nine lives when it can have endless lives--at least, so to speak, with the help of researchers at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine veterinary medicine, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of animals. An early interest in animal diseases is found in ancient Greek writings on medicine. Veterinary medicine began to achieve the stature of a science with the organization of the first school in the . That's where the first-ever cloned domestic cat was born in December. The fuzzy kitten, named "cc"--for copycat or carbon copy--is a genetic clone of Rainbow, a 2-year-old calico calico, plain weave cotton fabric in one or more colors. Calico, named for Calicut, India, where the fabric originated, was mentioned by historians before the Christian era and praised by early travelers for its fine texture and beautiful colors. (tri-colored) female. "A genetic clone has the exact same genes [hereditary information] as its genetic donor," says Dr. Duane Kraemer, a veterinarian veterinarian /vet·er·i·nar·i·an/ (vet?er-i-nar´e-an) a person trained and authorized to practice veterinary medicine and surgery; a doctor of veterinary medicine. vet·er·i·nar·i·an n. on the cloning team. To clone Rainbow, DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. (genetic information) was removed from the ova ova (o´vah) plural of ovum. Ova Eggs. Mentioned in: Stool O & P Test ova plural of ovum. , or egg cells, of an adult cat named Allie, cc's surrogate (substitute) mother. Scientists then removed DNA from the nucleus (center) of several cells drawn from Rainbow and transferred each nucleus into an egg from Allie. The process, called nuclear transfer, activates the egg cells. Then they begin to divide to form an embryo, an unborn baby in the early weeks of development. Cc may be Rainbow's genetic twin, but the two have different coat patterns. Why? "Copycat isn't a perfect copy of Rainbow and wasn't expected to be," Kraemer explains. Genes alone don't control an animal's coat color--environmental factors also strongly influence an individual's makeup. "A clone just replicates the genetics of an individual," says Kraemer. |
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