First Pig Stem Cells Made In China

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First Pig Stem Cells Made In China

03 Jun 2009

Achieving a world first, scientists in China have induced cells from pigs to

become pluripotent stem cells, which like embryonic stem cells are able to

develop into any cell of the body.

The study, which is to published early June in the newly launched Journal of

Molecular Cell Biology, was the work of principal investigator Dr Lei Xiao, who

leads the stem cell lab at the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell

Biology, and colleagues.

This is the first time anyone in the world has made pluripotent stem cells from

somatic cells (as opposed to germline cells such as sperm and eggs) from an

ungulate (an animal that has hooves).

The researchers hope this opens the door to making human disease models,

engineering animals as sources of organs for transplant into humans, and

developing pigs that are resistant to diseases like swine flu.

Quoted in a separate statement, Xiao said:

" Pig pluripotent stem cells would be useful in a number of ways, such as

precisely engineering transgenic animals for organ transplantation therapies. "

" The pig species is significantly similar to humans in its form and function,

and the organ dimensions are largely similar to human organs, " added Xiao.

Xiao and colleagues took cells from the ears and bone marrow of pigs and using

transcription factors introduced by a virus they reprogrammed them and coaxed

them to develop into colonies of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells)

which are very similar to embryonic stem cells, regarded as the " gold standard "

of stem cell research.

Further tests showed that like embryonic stem cells, the new iPS pig cells were

capable of differentiating into the types of cells that form the endoderm,

mesoderm and ectoderm layers of an embryo.

Working with iPS cells in this way also gives information that should make it

easier to develop embryonic stem cells (ES cells) from pig or other ungulate

embryos, said the researchers.

" We could use embryonic stem cells or induced stem cells to modify the

immune-related genes in the pig to make the pig organ compatible to the human

immune system, " explained Xiao, adding that the pigs could then be used as organ

donors for human patients without their immune system having an adverse

reaction.

Another application could be to create models for human diseases, for many of

them are caused by a disorder of gene expression.

" We could modify the pig gene in the stem cells and generate pigs carrying the

same gene disorder so that they would have a similar syndrome to that seen in

human patients, " explained Xiao, adding that it would then be possible to use

the pig model to develop treatments.

And another use could be to breed gene-modified pigs with resistance to diseases

like swine flu.

" We would do this by first, finding a gene that has anti-swine flu activity, or

inhibits the proliferation of the swine flu virus; second, we can introduce this

gene to the pig via pluripotent stem cells, a process known as gene knock-in, "

said Xiao.

Another way they could make pigs resistant to swine flu would be to knock out

the pig cell membrane receptor that the virus uses to gain access to cells.

Doing this would stop the virus invading cells and using their contents to

replicate itself.

" We could knock out this receptor in the pig via gene targeting in the pig

induced pluripotent stem cell, " explained Xiao.

There could also be applications to farming, not only by helping to breed

healthier and more disease resistant pigs, but also by improving the way that

pigs grow.

However Xiao warned that it will be several years before this new method moves

from the research lab into the clinic.

" Generation of pig induced pluripotent stem cells with a drug-inducible system. "

Zhao Wu, Jijun Chen, Jiangtao Ren, Lei Bao, Jing Liao, Chun Cui, Linjun Rao, Hui

Li, Yijun Gu, Huiming Dai, Hui Zhu, Xiaokun Teng, Lu Cheng, and Lei Xiao.

Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, doi:10.1093/jmcb/mjp003

A PDF of the full paper is available at

http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/jmcb/mjp003.pdf.

Sources: Oxford University Press, Comtex/M2 PressWIRE.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD

Copyright: Medical News Today

Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152340.php