RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Preservation and Reproduction of Microminipigs by Cloning Technology JF In Vivo JO In Vivo FD International Institute of Anticancer Research SP 617 OP 622 VO 30 IS 5 A1 ENYA, SATOKO A1 KAWARASAKI, TATSUO A1 OTAKE, MASAYOSHI A1 KANGAWA, AKIHISA A1 UENISHI, HIROHIDE A1 MIKAWA, SATOSHI A1 NISHIMURA, TAKASHI A1 KUWAHAWA, YASUSHI A1 SHIBATA, MASATOSHI YR 2016 UL http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/30/5/617.abstract AB Background/Aim: Microminipigs have been maintained in small populations of closed colonies, involving risks of inbreeding depression and genetic drift. In order to avoid these risks, we assessed the applicability of cloning technology. Materials and Methods: Male and female clones were produced from a stock of cryopreserved somatic cells, obtaining offspring by means of natural mating. Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of original microminipigs, clones and their offspring were analyzed and recorded. Results and Conclusion: Clones presented characteristics similar to those of the cell-stock data. Although the body weight of clones tended to be heavier than that of the cell-stock data, body weights of their offspring were similar to those of previous reports. Thus, cloned microminipigs have the potential to be a valuable genetic resource for reproduction and breeding. Our proposed methodology might be useful to provide a large number of animals with adequate quality from a limited population with sufficient genetic diversity.