Nuclear transfer and transgenesis in the pig

Area of Science:

• Animal biotechnology
• Developmental biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is crucial for generating genetically modified pigs.
• Gene-targeted pigs are essential for biomedical research and xenotransplantation.
• The lack of germ line-competent pluripotent stem cells in pigs necessitates SCNT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a routine workflow for producing genetically engineered pigs.
• To detail the genetic modification of somatic donor cells for SCNT.
• To describe the SCNT process using in vitro matured oocytes and embryo transfer.

Main Methods:

• Genetic modification of somatic donor cells.
• Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) utilizing in vitro matured oocytes.
• Laparoscopic embryo transfer of reconstructed embryos.

Main Results:

• Establishment of a reproducible workflow for genetically engineered pig production.
• Successful generation of gene-targeted pigs via SCNT.
• Demonstration of efficient embryo transfer techniques.

Conclusions:

• SCNT remains the primary method for creating gene-targeted pigs.
• The described workflow facilitates the production of custom pig models.
• This approach supports advancements in pig research and xenotransplantation.