[Campbell Biology P.477] Regarding animal cloning via nuclear transplantation, which stateme... | Practice Question
Regarding animal cloning via nuclear transplantation, which statement accurately describes a key challenge or finding discussed in the text, particularly concerning John Gurdon's experiments?
A: Differentiated animal cells readily divide and develop into multiple cell types in culture, making nuclear transplantation straightforward.
B: Gurdon's experiments consistently showed that a nucleus from a highly differentiated adult cell could direct normal development of an enucleated egg to an adult organism.
C: The potential of a transplanted nucleus to direct normal development was inversely related to the donor cell's differentiation, meaning less differentiated cells yielded better results.
D: Animal cells are totipotent just like plant cells, meaning any somatic cell can easily be used to clone a whole animal through simple culturing.
Explanation
John Gurdon's experiments in the 1970s with frog cells showed that while transplanted nuclei from embryonic/tadpole cells could often direct normal development, the potential of a transplanted nucleus to direct normal development was inversely related to the donor cell's differentiation, meaning less differentiated cells like those from embryos had higher success rates.