Production of human apolipoprotein(a) transgenic NIBS miniature pigs by somatic cell nuclear transfer

Most cases of ischemic heart disease and stroke occur as a result of atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to produce a new Nippon Institute for Biological Science (NIBS) miniature pig model by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) for studying atherosclerosis. The human apolipoprotein(a) (apo(a)) genes were transfected into kidney epithelial cells derived from a male and a female piglet. Male cells were used as donors initially, and 275 embryos were transferred to surrogates. Three offspring were delivered, and the production efficiency was 1.1% (3/275). Serial female cells were injected into 937 enucleated oocytes. Eight offspring were delivered (production efficiency: 0.9%) from surrogates. One male and 2 female transgenic miniature pigs matured well. Lipoprotein(a) was found in the male and one of the female transgenic animals. These results demonstrate successful production of human apo(a) transgenic NIBS miniature pigs by SCNT. Our goal is to establish a human apo(a) transgenic NIBS miniature pig colony for studying atherosclerosis.