Successful cloning of the Yucatan minipig using commercial/occidental breeds as oocyte donors and embryo recipients.
The widespread application of porcine SCNT to biomedical research is being hampered by the large adult size (300-600 lbs) of the commercial breeds commonly used for SCNT. The Yucatan minipig, in contrast, has an adult weight of 140-150 lbs and a long history of utility in biomedical research. In order to combine the wide availability of commercial swine with the biomedical value of the Yucatan minipig, we utilized SCNT using the Yucatan as nuclear donors and commercial swine as both oocyte donors and recipients. Of six recipient gilts receiving 631 SCNT embryos, three went to term and delivered seven piglets, four of which survived to adulthood. Additionally, we obtained fetal fibroblasts from a cloned Yucatan and used them for a second round of SCNT. Of three recipients receiving 315 reconstructed embryos, one went to term and delivered three piglets, one of which survived to adulthood. Both microsatellite and D-loop sequence analysis confirmed that all of the piglets generated were nuclear-mitochondrial hybrids carrying Yucatan nuclear DNA and commercial breed mitochondrial DNA. This report shows that it is possible to produce viable Yucatan SCNT clones and opens up the possibility of developing valuable biomedical models in this porcine breed.
Estrada
Jose L
JL
Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, USA.
Collins
Bruce
B
York
Abby
A
Bischoff
Steve
S
Sommer
Jeff
J
Tsai
Shengdar
S
Petters
Robert M
RM
Piedrahita
Jorge A
JA
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D019976:Cloning, Organism / Q000379:methods*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D053652:Nuclear Transfer Techniques; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology; D034421:Sus scrofa; D013552:Swine; D013556:Swine, Miniature / Q000196:embryology