Re: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991679

From: CurtAdams@aol.com
Date: Wed Dec 12 2001 - 17:33:22 MST


In a message dated 12/12/01 4:12:51 PM, asa@nada.kth.se writes:

>Interesting. I really wonder what part of the primate cell
>machinery is notably different from other mammals? Anybody
>knows?

Compared to the other mammals we've been cloning, primates have
very tight division control and cancer prevention. Primate cells
are picky about dividing and complacently commit suicide. This
might (no evidence I know of) be particularly true for eggs -
since primate juvenile care is so extensive, a messed-up embryo
is extra costly for the mother. So my interpretation is that these
eggs perceive something is wrong with their chromosome positioning
and kill themselves to avert aneuploid offspring.

We may not be so different from all mammals, but the ones we
pick for domestication and research tend to be fast reproducing
and relatively short-lived.



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