title: Production of transgenic pigs over-expressing the antiviral gene Mx1.
abstract: The myxovirus resistance gene (Mx1) has a broad spectrum of antiviral activities. It is therefore an interesting candidate gene to improve disease resistance in farm animals. In this study, we report the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) to produce transgenic pigs over-expressing the Mx1 gene. These transgenic pigs express approximately 15-25 times more Mx1 mRNA than non-transgenic pigs, and the protein level of Mx1 was also markedly enhanced. We challenged fibroblast cells isolated from the ear skin of transgenic and control pigs with influenza A virus and classical swine fever virus (CFSV). Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) revealed a profound decrease of influenza A proliferation in Mx1 transgenic cells. Growth kinetics showed an approximately 10-fold reduction of viral copies in the transgenic cells compared to non-transgenic controls. Additionally, we found that the Mx1 transgenic cells were more resistant to CSFV infection in comparison to non-transgenic cells. These results demonstrate that the Mx1 transgene can protect against viral infection in cells of transgenic pigs and indicate that the Mx1 transgene can be harnessed to develop disease-resistant pigs.
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Quanmei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Huaqiang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Dongshan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Bentian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zhaoming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Nana
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Hongsheng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Comparative Medicine and Center of Laboratory Animals, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Weiwang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China ; College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Liangxue
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lai
keywords: Antiviral breeding; Innate resistance; Somatic cell nuclear transfer