Schools of Biosciences (KDS, CGG, PAF, J-HL, AJR, IC, KHSC), School of Veterinary Medicine and Science (SAC, DSG), University of Nottingham, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UK.
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Mexico City 04510, Mexico.
Nat Commun. 2016 Jul 26;7:12359. doi: 10.1038/ncomms12359.
The health of cloned animals generated by somatic-cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has been of concern since its inception; however, there are no detailed assessments of late-onset, non-communicable diseases. Here we report that SCNT has no obvious detrimental long-term health effects in a cohort of 13 cloned sheep. We perform musculoskeletal assessments, metabolic tests and blood pressure measurements in 13 aged (7-9 years old) cloned sheep, including four derived from the cell line that gave rise to Dolly. We also perform radiological examinations of all main joints, including the knees, the joint most affected by osteoarthritis in Dolly, and compare all health parameters to groups of 5-and 6-year-old sheep, and published reference ranges. Despite their advanced age, these clones are euglycaemic, insulin sensitive and normotensive. Importantly, we observe no clinical signs of degenerative joint disease apart from mild, or in one case moderate, osteoarthritis in some animals. Our study is the first to assess the long-term health outcomes of SCNT in large animals.
体细胞细胞核移植（SCNT）克隆动物的健康问题自其诞生以来一直受到关注；然而，对于迟发性非传染性疾病，尚无详细的评估。在这里，我们报告在一组 13 只克隆绵羊中，SCNT 没有明显的不利长期健康影响。我们对 13 只年龄较大（7-9 岁）的克隆绵羊进行了肌肉骨骼评估、代谢测试和血压测量，其中包括来自产生多利的细胞系的四只。我们还对所有主要关节（包括膝关节，这是多利中受骨关节炎影响最严重的关节）进行了放射学检查，并将所有健康参数与 5 岁和 6 岁的绵羊组以及已发表的参考范围进行了比较。尽管这些克隆羊年龄较大，但它们的血糖正常、胰岛素敏感且血压正常。重要的是，除了一些动物存在轻度或一例中度骨关节炎外，我们没有观察到退行性关节疾病的临床症状。我们的研究首次评估了 SCNT 在大型动物中的长期健康结果。
