Noori (goat)

Last updated

Noori
Species Pashmina goat
SexFemale
Born9 March 2012
SKUAST-K, Srinagar, India
Nation from Kashmir
Notable roleFirst cloned pashmina goat

Noori (Arabic word for "light") is a female pashmina goat, the first pashmina goat to be cloned using the process of nuclear transfer. [1] Born on 9 March 2012, she is kept at the place of her birth, at the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shuhama, Srinagar in the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir. [2] [1] [3]

Contents

Birth

Noori was born on 9 March 2012 to three mothers (one provided the egg, another the DNA and a third carried the cloned embryo to term). She was created using the technique of somatic cell nuclear transfer, in which the cell nucleus from an adult cell is transferred into an unfertilised oocyte (developing egg cell) that has had its nucleus removed. The hybrid cell is then stimulated to divide by an electric shock, and when it develops into a blastocyst, it is implanted in a surrogate mother using laparoscopic surgery. This is the same method as was used in cloning the first mammal of the world, Dolly. Noori was cloned by Dr. Riaz Ahmad Shah, Dr.Syed Hilal Yaqoob, Dr. Maajid Hassan Bhat, Dr. Mujeeb Fazili, Firdous Ahmad Khan and colleagues at the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir in Shuhama, 13 km to the east of Srinagar. The successful cloning of Noori, which took two years, will assist the department in cloning the endangered species of Kashmir stag (hangul); they previously cloned a water buffalo in 2009. The funding for Noori's cloning was provided by the World Bank, which runs the National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. [1] [2] [4]

Pashmina goat

Noori also offers hope to the people of Kashmir of increasing production of pashmina, a type of fine cashmere wool. At present pashmina wool is being imported from China to fulfill demand, due to the rarity of pashmina goat, which is a special breed of goat indigenous to high altitudes of the Himalayas in Ladakh. Pashmina shawls are hand spun and woven and the textiles are embroidered in Kashmir, where more than 10 million people are associated with this industry. [5] [6] [2] [1]

Related Research Articles

Cloning Process of producing genetically identical individuals of an organism

Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical or virtually identical DNA, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. In the field of biotechnology, cloning is the process of creating cloned organisms (copies) of cells and of DNA fragments.

Dolly (sheep) First cloned mammal (1996–2003)

Dolly was a female Finnish Dorset sheep and the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell. She was cloned by associates of the Roslin Institute in Scotland, using the process of nuclear transfer from a cell taken from a mammary gland. Her cloning proved that a cloned organism could be produced from a mature cell from a specific body part. Contrary to popular belief, she was not the first animal to be cloned.

Human cloning Creation of a genetically identical copy of a human

Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning, which is the reproduction of human cells and tissue. It does not refer to the natural conception and delivery of identical twins. The possibility of human cloning has raised controversies. These ethical concerns have prompted several nations to pass laws regarding human cloning.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer Method of creating a cloned embryo by replacing the egg nucleus with a body cell nucleus

In genetics and developmental biology, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a laboratory strategy for creating a viable embryo from a body cell and an egg cell. The technique consists of taking an enucleated oocyte and implanting a donor nucleus from a somatic (body) cell. It is used in both therapeutic and reproductive cloning. In 1996, Dolly the sheep became famous for being the first successful case of the reproductive cloning of a mammal. In January 2018, a team of scientists in Shanghai announced the successful cloning of two female crab-eating macaques from foetal nuclei.

Cashmere wool Fiber obtained from cashmere goats and other types of goat

Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, is a fiber obtained from cashmere goats, pashmina goats, and some other breeds of goat. It has been used to make yarn, textiles and clothing for hundreds of years. Cashmere is closely associated with the Kashmir shawl, the word "cashmere" deriving from an anglicisation of Kashmir, when the Kashmir shawl reached Europe in the 19th century. Both the soft undercoat and the guard hairs may be used; the softer hair is reserved for textiles, while the coarse guard hair is used for brushes and other non-apparel purposes.

John Gurdon English developmental biologist (born 1933)

Sir John Bertrand Gurdon is a British developmental biologist. He is best known for his pioneering research in nuclear transplantation and cloning. He was awarded the Lasker Award in 2009. In 2012, he and Shinya Yamanaka were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for the discovery that mature cells can be converted to stem cells.

Pashmina (material) Fine subset of cashmere wool

Pashmina refers to a fine variant of spun cashmere, the animal-hair fibre forming the downy undercoat of the Changthangi goat. The word pashm means "wool" in Persian, but in Kashmir, pashm referred to the raw unspun wool of domesticated Changthangi goats. In common parlance today, pashmina may refer either to the material or to the variant of the Kashmir shawl that is made from it. Both generic cashmere and pashmina come from the same goat, but generic cashmere ranges from 12 to 21 microns in diameter, whereas pashmina refers only to those fibres that range from 12 to 16 microns.

Shawl Simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms

A shawl is an Indian simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folded to make a triangle, but can also be triangular in shape. Other shapes include oblong shawls.

Bangladesh Agricultural University

Bangladesh Agricultural University, abbreviated as BAU, was established as the only university of its kind in Bangladesh in 1961. The scheme for BAU was finalised on 8 June 1961 and its ordinance was promulgated on 18 August 1961. It started functioning with the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry at Mymensingh as its nucleus. The university has six faculties and 43 departments covering all aspects of agricultural education and research.

<i>Shahtoosh</i> Kashmiri shawl, woven of hair of the Tibetan antelope

Shahtoosh is a fine type of wool made from the hair of the Tibetan antelope. It is also a metonym for a type of Kashmir shawl traditionally made of shahtoosh wool. The Shahtoosh shawl is now a banned item with possession and sale being illegal in most countries for the Chiru is an endangered species under CITES. However, the weaving of Shahtoosh shawls continues in secret in Kashmir due to high demand by western buyers. The estimated market value of one Shahtoosh shawl in the western market is around $5,000–$20,000. Shahtoosh is the world's finest wool having the lowest micron count, followed by vicuña.

Commercial animal cloning is the cloning of animals for commercial purposes, currently, including livestock, competition camels and horses, pets, medical uses, endangered and extinct animals, as first demonstrated in 1996 for Dolly the sheep.

The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is a college of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. The college was founded in 1916 and is one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada. It is consistently ranked as one of the top 5 vet schools in the country, according to U.S. News. The college offers an undergraduate program in Biomedical Sciences, a professional Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, and numerous graduate programs relating to veterinary medicine and epidemiology.

Cashmere goat Any breed of goat that produces cashmere wool

A cashmere goat is a type of goat that produces cashmere wool, the goat's fine, soft, downy, winter undercoat, in commercial quality and quantity. This undercoat grows as the day length shortens and is associated with an outer coat of coarse hair, which is present all the year and is called guard hair. Most common goat breeds, including dairy goats, grow this two-coated fleece.

M. L. Madan

Motilal Madan is an Indian biotechnology researcher, veterinarian, academic and administrator. In a career spanning over 35 years, Madan published 432 research articles and policy papers in international and national reference journals—including 226 original research papers—and pioneered research in reproductive endocrinology, embryo biotechnology, In vitro fertilisation, and cloning.

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir is an agricultural university located in Shalimar, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. With its main campus and Faculty of Horticulture in Shalimar, Srinagar, the University has multiple campuses, colleges, research and extension centers across the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh Union Territory. The Faculty of Agriculture (FoA) is located in Wadura, Baramulla and the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry campus is located in Shuhama, Alusteng, Ganderbal.

Changthangi Goat breed

The Changthangi or Changpa is a breed of cashmere goat native to the high plateaus of Ladakh in northern India. It is closely associated with the nomadic Changpa people of the Changthang plateau. It may also be known as the Ladakh Pashmina or Kashmiri.

Kashmir shawl Fine shawl made in Kashmir

The Kashmir shawl, the predecessor of the contemporary cashmere shawl, is a type of shawl identified by its distinctive Kashmiri weave, and for being made of fine shahtoosh or pashmina wool. Contemporary variants include the pashmina and shahtoosh shawls. In the late 20th century, they evolved to middle-class popularity through generic cashmere products, and raffal, shawls woven in the Kashmiri style, but using thicker Merino wool. Originally designed as a covering for men in India, it has evolved in the popular cultures of India, Europe, and the United States as indicators of nobility and rank, heirlooms giving on a girl's coming-of-age and marriage, and subsequently, as artistic elements in interior design.

Goat farming Raising and breeding of domestic goats

Goat farming involves the raising and breeding of domestic goats as a branch of animal husbandry. People farm goats principally for their meat, milk, fibre and skins.

Morné de la Rey South African veterinarian

Morné de la Rey is a South African veterinary surgeon and embryo transfer specialist. In 2003, he was one of a team of scientists and veterinarians from his company Embryo Plus and the Danish Agriculture Institute to clone a cow, the first animal to be cloned in Africa. In 2016, he was one of a team to use in vitro fertilisation successfully for the first time in the Cape buffalo.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Celebrating world veterinary day-2012 with "NOORI"". greaterkashmir.com. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kashmir scientists clone rare cashmere goat". foxnews.com. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  3. "Faculty details". skuastkashmir. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  4. "SKUAST- Kashmir produced world's first cloned Pashmina kid". scoopnews.in. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  5. Franck, Robert R. (October 2001). Silk, Mohair, Cashmere and Other Luxury Fibres. Woodhead Publishing. p. 142. ISBN   1-85573-540-7 . Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  6. Morse, Linda; Lidia Karabinech; Lina Perl; Colby Brin (October 2005). Luxury Knitting: The Ultimate Guide to Exquisite Yarns. Sterling Publishing. p. 12. ISBN   1-931543-86-0 . Retrieved 12 December 2012.