Nuclear transplantation in Xenopus

Abstract

Nuclear transplantation in amphibia started in 1952. By this is meant, sexually mature cloned frogs can be obtained from the nuclei of embryo cells, differentiating cells, and larval-differentiated cells. Transplanted nuclei are reprogrammed to entirely new patterns of gene expression. In this chapter, the methods used to transplant living nuclei into enucleated eggs of Xenopus are described. A method also is described for transplanting multiple somatic cell nuclei into nonenucleated oocytes, a procedure that achieves reprogramming of gene expression in the absence of cell division.