A new technique of extracting DNA from preserved hair follicles has been developed by scientists, and is providing new possibilities for cloning. This new technique could possibly be applied to reconstructing a woolly mammoth by combining mammoth DNA sequenced by this new method with that of an elephant.
The old cloning process involved extracting bone marrow DNA from the remains of frozen bones and bone marrow, and using this to recreate the mammoth genome. However the problem with this process is that water and bacteria could have potentially entered the bone marrow over the many thousands of years of freeze-thaw the bones have withstood, possibly contaminating the DNA.
The new process provides a much purer sample, as the keratin sheath on the hair works as a great barrier against penetration. In the mammoth cloning operation, the two mammoths whose hair shafts are being used in the cloning process died 20,000 and 50,000 years ago, and the sequencing of these mammoths DNA will only be possible now due to the new hair technique.
The new technique allow DNA extraction from freeze preserved hair shafts, but along with it has come the discovery of a technique that can unravel the DNA code itself much faster than previously possible.
Currently, the scientists working on the project have sequenced what they think is about 50% of the mammoths genome from the randomized sequenced DNA fragments. However it is thought that by using this new technique, one day it will be possible to recreate the animals of the ice age. This could be done by extracting the species specific sequence out of an animal that is alive today, and inserting the sequenced DNA from the hair shaft of an ice age animal. However for this to be possible, both animals must be very closely related, such as a woolly mammoth and an elephant, whose DNA differs by just 0.6%.
While the new discovery could potentially lead to the reconstruction of extinct animals, it would be very expensive and difficult. What is very exciting about the new techniques discovered is its potential to be extremely helpful in saving today’s endangered species, such as the Tasmanian devil who is under threat due to the rapid spread of cancerous facial tumours.
REFERENCE:
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/2346/full
