Scientists at Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) in Hisar claimed to have successfully produced a cloned buffalo offspring ‘Cirb Gaurav’. CIRB Director Dr Inderjeet Singh said that the cloned buffalo calf is distinct from the earlier clones produced in India. As this is produced from cells of ventral side of tail of superior bull buffalo, this part is least exposed to sunlight and may have less mutation rate, and can be good choice for isolation of donor cells to produce healthy clones.
Singh said the newborn cloned calf, weighed 40.4 kg at the time of birth through normal delivery, was maintaining good health and showing normal activities. With this achievement CIRB becomes world’s third and India’s second institute to produce cloned buffalo, he said. National Dairy Research Institute in Karnal was the first to produce a cloned calf in India.
Cloning
- In biology, cloning is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually.
- Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments (molecular cloning), cells (cell cloning), or organisms.
- Dolly, a Finn-Dorset ewe, was the first mammal to have been successfully cloned from an adult cell.
- Noori, is the first cloned pashmina goat. Scientists at the faculty of veterinary sciences and animal husbandry of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir successfully cloned the first Pashmina goat.
