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Production of porcine cloned embryos derived from cells conditionally expressing an exogenous gene using Cre-loxP

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2012

JoonHo Moon
Affiliation:
Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
SuJin Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
HeeJung Park
Affiliation:
Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
JungTaek Kang
Affiliation:
Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
SolJi Park
Affiliation:
Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
OkJae Koo
Affiliation:
Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
Begona Roibas da Torre
Affiliation:
Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
Islam M. Saadeldin
Affiliation:
Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
ByeongChun Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
Goo Jang*
Affiliation:
Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, 599 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 151-742.
*
All correspondence to: Goo Jang. Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, 599 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 151-742. Tel: +82 2 880 1280, Fax: +82 2 873 1269. e-mail: snujang@snu.ac.kr

Summary

It is increasingly evident that conditional gene expression in pigs is necessary to make transgenic models. In this study, we investigated conditional expression in porcine fetal fibroblasts using Cre-loxP recombination, a system that has had limited application in large animals to date. Transformed fibroblasts were reprogrammed in enucleated oocytes to support further early embryonic development. Fetal fibroblasts from miniature pigs were used for transfection with a plasmid that contained a red fluorescent protein marker (pCALNL-DsRed) and a floxed neomycin-resistance gene. Cells were selected with 750 μg/ml neomycin for 2 weeks following transfection but did not express DsRed after visualization under a fluorescence microscope. Expression was achieved only after transient transfection with plasmid DNA that expressed the Cre recombinase enzyme. The cells that expressed DsRed were used for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). A total of 121 oocytes were used for SCNT and 76 cloned embryos (62.8%) were seen to have cleaved. Six blastocysts developed after SCNT and expressed DsRed. Deletion of the floxed neomycin-resistance gene was confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in cloned blastocysts. This study demonstrated that Cre-loxP recombination can be conducted successfully in miniature pig fibroblasts and that the sequentially transformed cells can develop to the pre-implantation embryo stage via SCNT.

Type
Short Communication
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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