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Induced pluripotent stem cells from swine (Sus scrofa): Why they may prove to be important

R. Michael Roberts, Bhanu Prakash V.L. Telugu and Toshihiko Ezashi

Three recent papers, published almost simultaneously by different groups, have described the generation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from the pig, a species whose size, anatomy, and physiology render them attractive as clinical models for the human. The approach used in each case was to infect somatic cells with integrating retroviral vectors designed to express four reprogramming genes (POU5F1, SOX2, cMYC and KLF4). The cell lines generated met the standard criteria for pluripotency, including the ability to differentiate along multiple tissue lineages. In most respects, the porcine iPS cells more resembled human embryonic stem cells and human iPS cells than their murine equivalents. Provided such porcine iPS cells can be “personalized” to specific pigs and then coaxed to differentiate along specific lineages, it should be possible to use such animals to test transplantation therapies with iPS cells for safety and efficacy before the procedures are applied to human patients.

Authors

R. Michael Roberts Corresponding author: robertsrm@missouri.edu

University of Missouri; Columbia, MO USA

Bhanu Prakash V.L. Telugu

University of Missouri; Columbia, MO USA

Toshihiko Ezashi

University of Missouri; Columbia, MO USA