It took three sheep to create the clone Dolly: A blackface sheep donated the egg, a whiteface sheep donated the mammary cells from which the nucleus was taken, and a blackface sheep served as surrogate. Assuming face color is genetically determined, what color face did Dolly have?
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1
Identify the source of the genetic material: Understand that the nucleus, which contains the genetic material determining traits such as face color, was taken from a whiteface sheep.
Recognize the role of the egg donor: Note that the egg from the blackface sheep had its nucleus removed, so it did not contribute genetic information regarding face color.
Consider the role of the surrogate: Acknowledge that the surrogate blackface sheep provided the environment for the embryo to develop but did not contribute genetically to traits such as face color.
Combine the information: Since the nucleus containing the genetic material came from a whiteface sheep, and the egg's nucleus (which was removed) did not contribute any genetic information, the traits including face color would be determined by the nucleus donor.
Conclude the face color of Dolly: Based on the origin of the nucleus, Dolly would have the face color of the nucleus donor, which is whiteface.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Genetic Contribution
In cloning, the genetic contribution of the donor cells is crucial. Dolly the sheep was created using a nucleus from mammary cells of a whiteface sheep, which means her genetic makeup primarily reflects the characteristics of this donor. The egg donor's contribution is limited to mitochondrial DNA, which does not influence traits like face color.
Nuclear transfer is a technique used in cloning where the nucleus of a somatic cell is transferred into an enucleated egg cell. This process allows the genetic material from the somatic cell to dictate the traits of the resulting organism. In Dolly's case, the nucleus from the whiteface sheep's mammary cells determined her genetic traits, including her face color.
Phenotype refers to the observable characteristics of an organism, while genotype refers to the genetic makeup. In this scenario, Dolly's phenotype, including her face color, is determined by her genotype, which is derived from the whiteface sheep's nucleus. Thus, despite the contributions from other sheep, Dolly's face color would reflect the genetic information from the whiteface sheep.