Correct Option
The correct option isShe was identical to the Finn Dorsett sheep (nucleus donor).
Explanation
Dolly the sheep was the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell using a technique called Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT). This process involves transferring the nucleus of a somatic cell (body cell) into an egg cell that has had its own nucleus removed (enucleated).
Analysis of the Cloning Process
- Nucleus Donor: The nucleus, which contains the organism's nuclear DNA and genetic blueprint, was taken from the udder cell of a Finn Dorsett sheep.
- Egg Donor: An unfertilized egg was taken from a Scottish Blackface ewe. The nucleus of this egg was removed, leaving only the cytoplasm and cellular machinery.
- Genetic Identity: Since the DNA determines the characteristics of the organism and the DNA came exclusively from the Finn Dorsett sheep, Dolly was genetically identical to the Finn Dorsett sheep.
- Phenotype: Dolly was white-faced (like the Finn Dorsett), not black-faced (like the egg donor), confirming that the egg donor's cytoplasm did not contribute to her nuclear genetic identity.
Key Takeaway
Clones created via nuclear transfer inherit their nuclear genetic traits entirely from the nucleus donor, not the egg donor or the surrogate mother.