Clearing Dolly: Radiographs of taxidermied sheep clone's remains investigate osteoarthritis, aging

We were warned. Almost 20 years ago, skeptics and opponents of the cloning of horses and other livestock forecast musculoskeletal calamities and weaknesses. It seemed like the prophecies of doom had come true back in 2003, when reports circulated that Dolly, the famous (and first) ewe cloned  in 1996, suffered from what might be considered premature aging, in the form of osteoarthritis (OA).

Now, researchers in the United Kingdom are about to clear Dolly's name and show additional evidence of normal aging in the tribe of university-cloned sheep that followed her.

Background
Reports in 2003 that Dolly, the first animal cloned from adult cells, was suffering from osteoarthritis at the age of 5½ led to considerable scientific concern and media debate over the possibility of early-onset age-related diseases in cloned animals.

Dolly, the world's first cloned mammal from an adult cell, is on display at the National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh. (Creative Commons file image via Wikimedia)

However, the only formal record of OA in the original Dolly was a brief mention in a conference abstract; it reported that Dolly had OA of the left knee. In the absence of the original records two research teams decided to find out for themselves whether the concerns were justified.

Researchers to the rescue

Teams at the University of Nottingham in England and the University of Glasgow in Scotland published research last year showing that a group of eight-year-old Nottingham ‘Dollies’ had aged normally. Last week, they published further evidence, in the form of a radiographic assessment of the skeletons of Dolly herself, Bonnie (her naturally conceived daughter) and Megan and Morag (the first two animals to be cloned from differentiated cells).

Their article, Radiographic assessment of the skeletons of Dolly and other clones finds no abnormal osteoarthritis, has been published in the online Nature Research Open Access journal Scientific Reports. They show that the skeletons, stored in the collections of National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh, display radiographic OA similar to that observed in naturally-conceived sheep and Nottingham’s healthy aged clones.

Kevin Sinclair, Professor of Developmental Biology, in the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham, said: “No formal, comprehensive assessment of osteoarthritis in Dolly was ever undertaken. We therefore felt it necessary to set the record straight.”

Nottingham’s Dolly legacy

The four Nottingham ‘Dollies’ - Debbie, Denise, Dianna and Daisy – were derived from the cell line that gave rise to Dolly. The researchers concluded that the Nottingham Dollies had aged normally with no clinical signs of OA. They had radiographic evidence of only mild or, in one case, moderate OA.

Their results, published July last year in the academic journal Nature Communications, were in apparent stark contrast to Dolly the Sheep’s diagnosis of early onset OA which led to scientific concern and media debate over the possibility of early-onset, age-related diseases in cloned animals.

Radiographic examinations

The researchers travelled to Edinburgh and, with special permission from Dr Andrew Kitchener, Principal Curator of Vertebrates at National Museums Scotland, undertook radiographic examinations of the skeletons of Dolly and her contemporary clones.

Professor Corr said: “We found that the prevalence and distribution of radiographic-OA was similar to that observed in naturally-conceived sheep, and our healthy aged cloned sheep. As a result we conclude that the original concerns that cloning had caused early-onset OA in Dolly were unfounded.”

More about sheep and ageing

Commercially-produced sheep are rarely kept beyond the age of 6-7 years. Their natural life expectancy rarely extends beyond 9-10 years. 

The Nottingham Dollies, who would now be over 10 years of age, have been humanely euthanized but their legacy continues. Professor Sinclair and his team are currently undertaking detailed molecular studies to gain a greater insight into the aging process.

Read the Open Access article:

S. A. Corr, D. S. Gardner, S. Langley-Hobbs, M. G. Ness, A. C. Kitchener, K. D. Sinclair. Radiographic assessment of the skeletons of Dolly and other clones finds no abnormal osteoarthritis. Scientific Reports, 2017; 7 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15902-8

Materials kindly provided by the University of Nottingham were utilized in the creation of this article.

Background on Dolly: https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2016/dolly-celebrates-20-years

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is the news service for Hoofcare and Lameness Publishing. Please, no re-use of text or images on other sites or social media without permission--please link instead. (Please ask if you need help.) The Hoof Blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a headlines-link email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). Use the little envelope symbol below to email this article to others. The "translator" tool in the right sidebar will convert this article (roughly) to the language of your choice. To share this article on Facebook and other social media, click on the small symbols below the labels. Be sure to "like" the Hoofcare and Lameness Facebook page and click on "get notifications" under the page's "like" button to keep up with the hoof news on Facebook. 

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Jack Hanna at Ohio State's Equine Lameness Lab: Running Amok Through Gait Analysis

Watch a segment of Jack Hanna's "Into the Wild" television show filmed in a lameness lab

Television wildlife promoter Jack Hanna visited The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center's Galbreath Equine Center in Columbus, Ohio in February; he was filming a segment for his television show "Into the Wild."

Hanna and crew were hosted by our friend Alicia Bertone, DVM, PhD, DACVS professor of Equine Orthopedic Surgery and The Trueman Chair in Equine Clinical Medicine and Surgery at Ohio State.

Dr. Bertone tried to explain different diagnostic methods for osteoarthritis in horses as well as how a horse progresses through her new clinical trial for horses with osteoarthritis--when Jack wasn't mugging for the camera. It's nothing short of fun to watch Jack stumble through the familiar treadmills and force plates and surgery room hoists, all the while taking Dr Bertone not very seriously. Luckily, we know she has a great sense of humor and was well-chosen to host someone like Jack.

If you live in the United States and watch television, you know Jack Hanna. But since so many Hoof Blog readers are not US residents, it might be helpful to explain who this character is. Some might say that he is best known for taking his role as director of the down-at-the-heels and unknown Columbus Zoo back in the 1980s and turning "Jack Hanna"--and that zoo--into household names through his back-to-back appearances on every news and talk show on television. He actually does have a show of his own, however.

But most of us see him over breakfast on "Good Morning America" or late at night on David Letterman's show. He brings the creepiest or cutest animals he can find and turns them loose on Dave's desk.

Jack Hanna still lives in Ohio; that location meant that he became the de facto spokesman to the press during the terrible tragedy of a home zoo gone mad when wild animals escaped from a Zanesville, Ohio farm.

One reason he's so effective on-camera is because he plays dumb. Sure, it's dumb like a fox, but it works to get--and keep--the audience on his side. He's been able to become the most visible icon of American wildlife not in spite of but perhaps because of his lack of a DVM or a PhD. With the possible exception of the Zanesville aftermath, Jack Hanna doesn't usually lecture or talk down to his audiences. He falls over his own words often, makes more than his share of off-the-wall comments, and acts downright goofy sometimes, especially when David Letterman is around.

The AVMA and AAZPA may or may not approve of what Jack Hanna says or does, but they can't argue that he fuels the public's interest in wild animals, and has probably done more than any individual to increase the sales of family tickets to zoos and nature parks around the country.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

The horse world could use someone to do for us what Jack has done for zoos. Maybe this little video is a start. 

Click on the ad to learn more about this beautiful guide to the equine foot anatomy

 © Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.