OT--First we had Dolly, now we have Gene!!!
DeFOREST, Wis. (AP) - Scientists unveiled a 6-month-old cloned calf Thursday, describing it as a step toward yielding beefier steer and milkier cows as well as new medicines and perhaps transplant organs for people.
The black-and-white Holstein named Gene, which chewed its cud and licked a man's hand as photographers crowded around its pen, was made in a different way than Dolly, the sheep cloned last year by Scottish researchers.
While Dolly was produced from the udder cell of a 6-year-old ewe, Gene's genes originated in a cell from a 30 day-old fetus. Because the bovine genes hadn't developed specific functions the way most adult cells have, they were more amenable to producing an entirely new creature, said Neil First, a professor of animal science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
It took at least 150 attempts and an investment of about $15 million since 1987 before ABS Global Inc. scientists successfully cloned Gene, said Marc van't Noordende, the biotechnology company's president and chief executive.
In fact, Gene already has two fellow clones: Gene Two and Gene Three, company officials said.
``We can make an unlimited number of cells, freeze them for any amount of time, then thaw them and make identical animals possessing a desired trait,'' said Dr. Michael D. Bishop, vice president of research. ``Cells from cattle containing unique, favorable traits can be stored indefinitely, essentially preserving them for the future.''
Company officials said Gene is a step beyond Dolly, which was the first clone ever made from an adult mammal.
Dolly was a surprise because her genes had already been functioning for years in a mature, specialized cell. They had to be reset in order for Dolly to develop.
``Dolly is cloned from an adult cell,'' First said. ``None of us really thought that would be possible.''
But Bishop said that his company had done the Dolly thing too, by impregnating cows with clones made from adult cells.
``We've been able to generate cell lines and initiate pregnancies with them, so we'll see how far they go,'' Bishop said.
Both animals were produced for essentially the same reason - to improve animal stock and make it possible to make drugs or other valuable biological substances in milk.
In cloning an animal, scientists can also turn it into a living factory by sticking an extra gene into the egg that codes for some desired substance. Then the animal's milk would have the substance in it. It could either be extracted for use or just drunk straight.
``It's a little factory and it's very cheap to maintain,'' said Jim Robl, a veterinary and animal science professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
``Certainly the companies that are actively engaged in that area see it as a multibillion industry, and actually there is no question that it is,'' Robl said.
Jim Gibb, a spokesman for the U.S. Cattlemen's Association based in Denver, said if the technology costs too much or doesn't really improve the quality of the cattle, then the industry is less likely to use it.
``It obviously has a lot of potential,'' Gibb said. ``The bottom line in this technology is what it's going to cost.''
Van't Noordende said it would be several years before the first products resulting from the process would be introduced: ``It generally takes several generations.''
Cloned cattle would be useful in agriculture because they could be genetically manipulated to produce impressive amounts of milk or beef. They also have the potential to be used for organs that humans need for transplants. The genes in an animal could be manipulated so humans won't reject the organ, van't Noordende said.
ABS Global has $65 million in annual sales of bull semen and services such as artificial insemination. The company has customers in 70 countries.
AP-NY-08-07-97 1937EDT
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