Chapter 9, Problem 13PDQ

In an earlier Problems and Discussion section (see Chapter 7, Problem 27), we described CC, the cat created by nuclear transfer cloning, whereby a diploid nucleus from one cell is injected into an enucleated egg cell to create an embryo. Cattle, sheep, rats, dogs, and several other species have been cloned using nuclei from somatic cells. Embryos and adults produced by this approach often show a number of different mitochondrial defects. Explain possible reasons for the prevalence of mitochondrial defects in embryos created by nuclear transfer cloning.