Re: Australians hope to be First to Clone an Extinct Animal

Posted by Thermus aquaticus on May 31, 2002 at 00:38
(128.250.250.145)

Re: Australians hope to be First to Clone an Extinct Animal (Mike Kremer)

This story is a 100% media beat-up. It just goes to show what nonsense can masquerade as science. It’s not surprising at all that the DNA from the 140 year old EtOH preserved thylacine embryo is still intact enough for standard molecular analysis (gene cloning, sequencing, PCR etc). But that’s a LONG way from being able to clone a whole new animal from one of the cells. All they have done is PCR amplify some of the DNA. Big deal. That’s an insignificant achievement. Archer has then gone on to speculate that they can “reconstruct” the entire thylacine genome into artificial chromosomes that they can then use for cloning a whole new animal in about 10 years. Absolute science fiction. As an analogy, that would be equivalent to humans colonizing Pluto in the same time frame.

For cloning by nuclear transfer you need live intact cells with an undamaged nucleus and undamaged DNA. ie. you need intact genomes. All animal cloning to date has been done from live cells or from live cells that were meticulously prepared and snap frozen in liquid nitrogen. EtOH preserved cells stored in a refrigerator for over a 100 years are definitely not going to cut it. Archer is absolutely no further towards cloning a thylacine that he was the last time he made a fanciful press release. Clearly what he is doing is raising his public profile as a prelude to asking for grant money.

Don’t confuse this with reality folks. Trust me, there will be no cloned thylacine in our lifetime (or woolly mammoth either for exactly the same reasons.)



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