Application of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) in companion Animals: A review

Abstract

The Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) is an emerging technology that requires the nucleus from a donor somatic cell which is transferred to the enucleated oocyte in vitro. Since the first sheep had been cloned, the SCNT was a significant breakthrough of the last century, many countries and companies provide strong support to the development of this new biotechnology. SCNT has been continuously developed and used for diverse purpose in animals. However compare with other mammalian species, the SCNT used in dogs has developed slowly, due to some difficulties. As companion animials have played an important role in human society, this technique is moving from laboratory to commercial application to meet people’s emotional needs. In this review, we summarise the application of SCNT for companion animal especially the current situation of commercial companion animal. Besides, we also concern about ethical focus on the cloning companion animal.