Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Transnuclear Mice with Pre-defined T Cell Receptor Specificities Against Toxoplasma gondii Obtained Via SCNT
Published on: September 30, 2010
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in mammals: the cytoplast and its reprogramming activities
1Institute of Animal Production, POB 1, CS-104 01 Prague 10, Czech Republic. fulka@vuzv.cz
Abstract:
It is now more than nine years since Dolly, the world's first somatic cell cloned mammal was born, and the success of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is still disappointingly low. Only about 3-5% of reconstructed embryos develop to term, and it is also evident that even if some clones are born, they are not necessarily fully developed and healthy. Embryonic and neonatal abnormalities of cloned offspring are probably a result of incorrect or incomplete reprogramming of the transferred donor cell nuclei. Such an incomplete reprogramming reflects the extremely low efficiency of SCNT. The key role in the process of reprogramming has been attributed to the enucleated oocyte-cytoplast into which the somatic cell nucleus is transferred. In our chapter, we will discuss the methodological approaches used for the preparation of cytoplasts and their possible reprogramming activities.
Related Concept Videos
Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming
Introduction to Nuclear Reprogramming
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming
Reproductive Cloning
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
In SCNT, an egg cell is taken from an animal and its nucleus is removed, creating an enucleated egg. Then a somatic cell—any cell that is not a sex...
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Somatic cells are...
Chromatin Modification in iPS Cells
Compact chromatin makes reprogramming difficult. Enzymes, such as histone demethylases and acetyltransferases, are often added during reprogramming to loosen the chromatin, making the DNA more accessible to transcription factors. Molecules that inhibit histone...

