Chinese scientists announced the birth of the world's first somatic cell cloned Dzo in Xizang Autonomous Region, China. This achievement marks a major breakthrough in plateau breeding technology, which is crucial for improving the quality of plateau livestock and protecting endangered species.
The male Dzo calf was born weighing 26 kilograms (56 pounds) via cesarean section. Careful genetic testing confirmed that the dzo is an exact genetic copy of the donor dzo. The dzo calf has now survived for more than two months and is in good health, reported Science and Technology.
This achievement was achieved by a collaborative team from the Institute of Animal Sciences (IAS) under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences ( CAAS), the academy of agricultural and animal sciences and the animal husbandry and veterinary facilities in Xizang, together with China Agricultural University and Northeastern University.
The team stated that the trial had been approved by the relevant authorities and complied with ethical norms.
"This marks the first successful application of in situ somatic cell cloning on the Xizang Plateau, specifically for the conservation and utilization of locally adapted genetic resources," said Yu Dawei, a researcher from CAAS-IAS who led the research team.
The Dzo, a cross between a female yak and a locally bred male cattle, is uniquely adapted to the extreme conditions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and offers superior economic benefits.
In addition to its impressive milk output, the dzo is known for its high meat yield efficiency, rich nutritional value, and strong carrying capacity, making it much more economically valuable than ordinary highland cattle species.
However, the main obstacle preventing the full exploitation of this advantage is the infertility of male Dzo, which prevents the natural spread of their superior genetics.
Advanced bovine embryo production and transfer techniques, which are crucial for breeding, are also still underdeveloped in Xizang. Therefore, reliance on repeated artificial crossbreeding increases costs and hinders large-scale industrialization.
Researchers extracted somatic cells from the ear of a nine-year-old adult dzo. The nucleus of the cell was then transferred into a cow egg from which the nucleus had been removed to create a cloned embryo.
