The body of multicellular animals (salamanders, frogs and so on) is made of more than hundred
different kinds of somatic cells. Even though they’re so different, they all have the same genome (the
same DNA, the same set of genes). This is called genomic equivalence. How can you prove that? Explain
an experiment that can prove that.
To prove genomic equivalence, one can perform an experiment called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Here is an explanation of how this experiment can demonstrate that different somatic cells in multicellular animals contain the same genome or set of genes:
1. Select a donor animal and choose a specific type of somatic cell that you want to investigate. For example, you could select a frog and isolate a skin cell.
2. Extract the nucleus from a somatic cell of the donor animal. The nucleus contains the DNA, which carries the genetic information of the organism.
3. Take an egg cell (oocyte) from the same species, remove its nucleus, and discard it.
4. Insert the nucleus from the donor somatic cell into the enucleated egg cell. This process is known as nuclear transfer.
5. Stimulate the egg cell possessing the donor nucleus to divide and develop into an embryo. This can be done using specific chemical treatments or electric stimulation.
6. Implant the embryo into a surrogate mother, such as a female frog capable of supporting the development of the embryo.
7. Allow the embryo to develop and observe the resulting offspring.
If the experiment proves genomic equivalence, the resulting offspring should exhibit the characteristics and traits of the donor animal (in this case, the frog), despite the fact that they were developed from a somatic cell of a different type (e.g., skin cell).
Through this experiment, it becomes evident that the differentiated somatic cell, which undergoes nuclear transfer, is still capable of giving rise to a complete organism, as long as its DNA remains intact. This establishes that despite the various specialized functions of different somatic cells, they possess the same genomic information.