Copycat

In February scientists at Texas A&M reported cloning the first house pet: a gray tabby named CC. Researchers created CC in partnership with a biotech firm called Genetics Savings & Clone, which plans to offer cloning services to pet owners within a year.

After CC’s birth, the company received hundreds of calls, both for and against, says spokesperson Ben Carlson. “A lot of people alarmed about cloning believe cloning pets is really the most slippery slope toward cloning humans.”

After many attempts, CC was created by coaxing the nucleus of a cell from a calico cat into an enucleated egg; an electrical spark prompted the hybrid to divide, and the resulting embryo
was then transferred into a surrogate mother. The team performed 188 nuclear transfers to produce 87 cloned embryos. Eight of the embryos were implanted in surrogate mothers, and
one led to a live birth. The group has tried to clone dogs, but canine reproductive physiology has proved to be complex.

CC’s appearance shows that clones are not exact copies. With her gray fur, CC doesn’t even look like the calico cat that donated her genes. Coat color is determined by a poorly understood
process that randomly inactivates certain genes in the cells of a developing embryo. The process of gene inactivation is thought to be a phenomenon of all mammals, including humans.

Genetic Savings & Clone warns that pet owners may be expecting more than cloning can deliver. Carlson says: “We have gone to great pains to emphasize that a clone is a brand new animal,
without any of the memories of the old one. It’s not going to be a reincarnation of Fluffy.”

Published in Discover’s Year in Science 2002

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