UPSC Prelims 2017 Question:

What is the application of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Technology?

Explanation: 

• Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Technology or Cloning is a technique in which the nucleus (DNA) of a somatic cell is transferred into an enucleated metaphase-II oocyte for the generation of a new individual, genetically identical to the somatic cell donor.
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• The success of cloning an entire animal, Dolly, from a differentiated adult mammary epithelial cell has created a revolution in science. It demonstrated that genes inactivated during tissue differentiation can be completely re-activated by a process called nuclear reprogramming.
  
  
• Somatic Cloning may be used to generate multiple copies of genetically elite farm animals, to produce transgenic animals for pharmaceutical protein production or xeno-transplantation, or to preserve endangered species. With optimization, it also promises enormous biomedical potential for therapeutic cloning and allo-transplantation. In addition to its practical applications, cloning has become an essential tool for studying gene function, genomic imprinting, genomic reprogramming, regulation of development, genetic diseases, and gene therapy, as well as many other topics.
  
  

Therefore, option (3) is the correct answer.

Subject: Science & Technology | Biotechnology