ABSTRACT
Nuclear transfer of somatic cells to Xenopus eggs led to the crucial discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become totipotent and proved that mature cells still contained the genetic information needed to form all types of cells. Decades later, the Xenopus model system continues to be an invaluable system to study nuclear reprogramming and the broad applications that this field offers as well as the reasons behind its low efficiency. Among the several techniques to perform cell reprogramming, somatic cell nuclear transfer continues to stand out as the most rapid means of reprogramming as well as the only existing method to truly attain totipotency. Nuclear reprogramming holds immense potential in agriculture, basic research, and biomedicine, with therapeutical cloning and the generation of pluripotent stem cells being extremely valuable for disease modeling and cell replacement therapy. This chapter discusses the development of nuclear reprogramming, from its origin in Xenopus to its translation into mammalian systems. The chapter reviews the pitfalls of cloning technology in terms of reprogramming resistance, discusses the future perspectives of this field, and highlights its impact on therapeutical use.
