1
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Xuan Y, Petersen B, Liu P. Human and Pig Pluripotent Stem Cells: From Cellular Products to Organogenesis and Beyond. Cells 2023; 12:2075. [PMID: 37626885 PMCID: PMC10453631 DOI: 10.3390/cells12162075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are important for studying development and hold great promise in regenerative medicine due to their ability to differentiate into various cell types. In this review, we comprehensively discuss the potential applications of both human and pig PSCs and provide an overview of the current progress and challenges in this field. In addition to exploring the therapeutic uses of PSC-derived cellular products, we also shed light on their significance in the study of interspecies chimeras, which has led to the creation of transplantable human or humanized pig organs. Moreover, we emphasize the importance of pig PSCs as an ideal cell source for genetic engineering, facilitating the development of genetically modified pigs for pig-to-human xenotransplantation. Despite the achievements that have been made, further investigations and refinement of PSC technologies are necessary to unlock their full potential in regenerative medicine and effectively address critical healthcare challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyi Xuan
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China;
| | - Björn Petersen
- Institute of Farm Animal Genetics, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Mariensee, 31535 Neustadt am Rübenberge, Germany;
| | - Pentao Liu
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China;
- Center for Translational Stem Cell Biology, Hong Kong, China
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2
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Sarmah H, Sawada A, Hwang Y, Miura A, Shimamura Y, Tanaka J, Yamada K, Mori M. Towards human organ generation using interspecies blastocyst complementation: Challenges and perspectives for therapy. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1070560. [PMID: 36743411 PMCID: PMC9893295 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1070560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Millions of people suffer from end-stage refractory diseases. The ideal treatment option for terminally ill patients is organ transplantation. However, donor organs are in absolute shortage, and sadly, most patients die while waiting for a donor organ. To date, no technology has achieved long-term sustainable patient-derived organ generation. In this regard, emerging technologies of chimeric human organ production via blastocyst complementation (BC) holds great promise. To take human organ generation via BC and transplantation to the next step, we reviewed current emerging organ generation technologies and the associated efficiency of chimera formation in human cells from the standpoint of developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemanta Sarmah
- Department of Medicine, Columbia Center for Human Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Anri Sawada
- Department of Medicine, Columbia Center for Human Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Youngmin Hwang
- Department of Medicine, Columbia Center for Human Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Akihiro Miura
- Department of Medicine, Columbia Center for Human Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yuko Shimamura
- Department of Medicine, Columbia Center for Human Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Junichi Tanaka
- Department of Medicine, Columbia Center for Human Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kazuhiko Yamada
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Munemasa Mori
- Department of Medicine, Columbia Center for Human Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
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3
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Development of a Method for the In Vivo Generation of Allogeneic Hearts in Chimeric Mouse Embryos. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24021163. [PMID: 36674675 PMCID: PMC9865658 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Worldwide, there is a great gap between the demand and supply of organs for transplantations. Organs generated from the patients' cells would not only solve the problem of transplant availability but also overcome the complication of incompatibility and tissue rejection by the host immune system. One of the most promising methods tested for the production of organs in vivo is blastocyst complementation (BC). Regrettably, BC is not suitable for the creation of hearts. We have developed a novel method, induced blastocyst complementation (iBC), to surpass this shortcoming. By applying iBC, we generated chimeric mouse embryos, made up of "host" and "donor" cells. We used a specific cardiac enhancer to drive the expression of the diphtheria toxin gene (dtA) in the "host" cells, so that these cells are depleted from the developing hearts, which now consist of "donor" cells. This is a proof-of-concept study, showing that it is possible to produce allogeneic and ultimately, xenogeneic hearts in chimeric organisms. The ultimate goal is to generate, in the future, human hearts in big animals such as pigs, from the patients' cells, for transplantations. Such a system would generate transplants in a relatively short amount of time, improving the quality of life for countless patients around the world.
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4
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Var SR, Strell P, Johnson ST, Roman A, Vasilakos Z, Low WC. Transplanting Microglia for Treating CNS Injuries and Neurological Diseases and Disorders, and Prospects for Generating Exogenic Microglia. Cell Transplant 2023; 32:9636897231171001. [PMID: 37254858 PMCID: PMC10236244 DOI: 10.1177/09636897231171001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Microglia are associated with a wide range of both neuroprotective and neuroinflammatory functions in the central nervous system (CNS) during development and throughout lifespan. Chronically activated and dysfunctional microglia are found in many diseases and disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and CNS-related injuries, and can accelerate or worsen the condition. Transplantation studies designed to replace and supplement dysfunctional microglia with healthy microglia offer a promising strategy for addressing microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and pathologies. This review will cover microglial involvement in neurological diseases and disorders and CNS-related injuries, current microglial transplantation strategies, and different approaches and considerations for generating exogenic microglia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna R. Var
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical
School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Stem Cell Institute, Medical School,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Phoebe Strell
- Stem Cell Institute, Medical School,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical
Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Sether T. Johnson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical
School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Stem Cell Institute, Medical School,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Alex Roman
- Department of Neuroscience, University
of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Zoey Vasilakos
- Stem Cell Institute, Medical School,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University
of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Walter C. Low
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical
School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Stem Cell Institute, Medical School,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical
Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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5
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Shetty A, Lim S, Strell P, Steer CJ, Rivera-Mulia JC, Low WC. In Silico Stage-Matching of Human, Marmoset, Mouse, and Pig Embryos to Enhance Organ Development Through Interspecies Chimerism. Cell Transplant 2023; 32:9636897231158728. [PMID: 36929807 PMCID: PMC10026093 DOI: 10.1177/09636897231158728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, there is a significant shortage of transplantable organs for patients in need. Interspecies chimerism and blastocyst complementation are alternatives for generating transplantable human organs in host animals such as pigs to meet this shortage. While successful interspecies chimerism and organ generation have been observed between evolutionarily close species such as rat and mouse, barriers still exist for more distant species pairs such as human-mouse, marmoset-mouse, human-pig, and others. One of the proposed barriers to chimerism is the difference in developmental stages between the donor cells and the host embryo at the time the cells are introduced into the host embryo. Hence, there is a logical effort to stage-match the donor cells with the host embryos for enhancing interspecies chimerism. In this study, we used an in silico approach to simultaneously stage-match the early developing embryos of four species, including human, marmoset, mouse, and pig based on transcriptome similarities. We used an unsupervised clustering algorithm to simultaneously stage-match all four species as well as Spearman's correlation analyses to stage-match pairs of donor-host species. From our stage-matching analyses, we found that the four stages that best matched with each other are the human blastocyst (E6/E7), the gastrulating mouse embryo (E6-E6.75), the marmoset late inner cell mass, and the pig late blastocyst. We further demonstrated that human pluripotent stem cells best matched with the mouse post-implantation stages. We also performed ontology analysis of the genes upregulated and commonly expressed between donor-host species pairs at their best matched stages. The stage-matching results predicted by this study will inform in vivo and in vitro interspecies chimerism and blastocyst complementation studies and can be used to match donor cells with host embryos between multiple species pairs to enhance chimerism for organogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anala Shetty
- Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Genetics Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Seunghyun Lim
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Phoebe Strell
- Comparative and Molecular Biosciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Clifford J Steer
- Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Genetics Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Juan Carlos Rivera-Mulia
- Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Genetics Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Walter C Low
- Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Genetics Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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6
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Zvick J, Tarnowska-Sengül M, Ghosh A, Bundschuh N, Gjonlleshaj P, Hinte LC, Trautmann CL, Noé F, Qabrati X, Domenig SA, Kim I, Hennek T, von Meyenn F, Bar-Nur O. Exclusive generation of rat spermatozoa in sterile mice utilizing blastocyst complementation with pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Reports 2022; 17:1942-1958. [PMID: 35931077 PMCID: PMC9481912 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Blastocyst complementation denotes a technique that aims to generate organs, tissues, or cell types in animal chimeras via injection of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) into genetically compromised blastocyst-stage embryos. Here, we report on successful complementation of the male germline in adult chimeras following injection of mouse or rat PSCs into mouse blastocysts carrying a mutation in Tsc22d3, an essential gene for spermatozoa production. Injection of mouse PSCs into Tsc22d3-Knockout (KO) blastocysts gave rise to intraspecies chimeras exclusively embodying PSC-derived functional spermatozoa. In addition, injection of rat embryonic stem cells (rESCs) into Tsc22d3-KO embryos produced interspecies mouse-rat chimeras solely harboring rat spermatids and spermatozoa capable of fertilizing oocytes. Furthermore, using single-cell RNA sequencing, we deconstructed rat spermatogenesis occurring in a mouse-rat chimera testis. Collectively, this study details a method for exclusive xenogeneic germ cell production in vivo, with implications that may extend to rat transgenesis, or endangered animal species conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel Zvick
- Laboratory of Regenerative and Movement Biology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Monika Tarnowska-Sengül
- Laboratory of Regenerative and Movement Biology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Adhideb Ghosh
- Laboratory of Regenerative and Movement Biology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland; Functional Genomics Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Nicola Bundschuh
- Laboratory of Regenerative and Movement Biology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Pjeter Gjonlleshaj
- Laboratory of Regenerative and Movement Biology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Laura C Hinte
- Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolic Epigenetics, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Christine L Trautmann
- Laboratory of Regenerative and Movement Biology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Falko Noé
- Laboratory of Regenerative and Movement Biology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland; Functional Genomics Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Xhem Qabrati
- Laboratory of Regenerative and Movement Biology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Seraina A Domenig
- Laboratory of Regenerative and Movement Biology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Inseon Kim
- Laboratory of Regenerative and Movement Biology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Hennek
- ETH Phenomics Center, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8049, Switzerland
| | - Ferdinand von Meyenn
- Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolic Epigenetics, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Ori Bar-Nur
- Laboratory of Regenerative and Movement Biology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland.
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7
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Zhou Q. Progress in modern reproductive biology research in China. Biol Reprod 2022; 107:3-11. [PMID: 35699410 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioac122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive biology is closely associated with human health and social progress. Modern reproductive biology research in China began in the 1930s. Advances in science, technology, government support and international collaborations spawned the rapid growth of reproductive biology research in China. While the development of reproductive biology has provided both theoretical knowledge and applicable technologies, it has also generated new social and ethical concerns. This review summarizes and highlights the contributions of modern reproductive biology research in China, with a specific focus on aspects that are most related to human reproduction and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing, China
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8
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Liu X, Chen L, Wang T, Zhou J, Li Z, Bu G, Zhang J, Yin S, Wu D, Dou C, Xu T, He H, Zhu W, Yu L, Liu Z, Zhang X, Chen ZX, Miao YL. TDG is a pig-specific epigenetic regulator with insensitivity to H3K9 and H3K27 demethylation in nuclear transfer embryos. Stem Cell Reports 2021; 16:2674-2689. [PMID: 34678203 PMCID: PMC8581057 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2021.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Pig cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) frequently undergoes incomplete epigenetic remodeling during the maternal-to-zygotic transition, which leads to a significant embryonic loss before implantation. Here, we generated the first genome-wide landscapes of histone methylation in pig SCNT embryos. Excessive H3K9me3 and H3K27me3, but not H3K4me3, were observed in the genomic regions with unfaithful embryonic genome activation and donor-cell-specific gene silencing. A combination of H3K9 demethylase KDM4A and GSK126, an inhibitor of H3K27me3 writer, were able to remove these epigenetic barriers and restore the global transcriptome in SCNT embryos. More importantly, thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) was defined as a pig-specific epigenetic regulator for nuclear reprogramming, which was not reactivated by H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 removal. Both combined treatment and transient TDG overexpression promoted DNA demethylation and enhanced the blastocyst-forming rates of SCNT embryos, thus offering valuable methods to increase the cloning efficiency of genome-edited pigs for agricultural and biomedical purposes. Identification of reprogramming-resistant genes and regions in porcine SCNT embryos H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 are enriched in reprogramming-resistant genes and regions Removing H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 by KDM4A and GSK126 facilitates nuclear reprogramming Transient TDG overexpression promotes DNA demethylation and improves reprogramming
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Liu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Lu Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jilong Zhou
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zhekun Li
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Guowei Bu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Shuyuan Yin
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Danya Wu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Chengli Dou
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Tian Xu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Hainan He
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Wei Zhu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Longtao Yu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zhiting Liu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xia Zhang
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zhen-Xia Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
| | - Yi-Liang Miao
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction (Huazhong Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China; The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China.
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9
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Founta KM, Papanayotou C. In Vivo Generation of Organs by Blastocyst Complementation: Advances and Challenges. Int J Stem Cells 2021; 15:113-121. [PMID: 34711704 PMCID: PMC9148837 DOI: 10.15283/ijsc21122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The ultimate goal of regenerative medicine is to replace damaged cells, tissues or whole organs, in order to restore their proper function. Stem cell related technologies promise to generate transplants from the patients' own cells. Novel approaches such as blastocyst complementation combined with genome editing open up new perspectives for organ replacement therapies. This review summarizes recent advances in the field and highlights the challenges that still remain to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantina-Maria Founta
- Department of Basic Science, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Costis Papanayotou
- Department of Basic Science, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
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10
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Humanized skeletal muscle in MYF5/MYOD/MYF6-null pig embryos. Nat Biomed Eng 2021; 5:805-814. [PMID: 33782573 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-021-00693-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Because post-mortem human skeletal muscle is not viable, autologous muscle grafts are typically required in tissue reconstruction after muscle loss due to disease or injury. However, the use of autologous tissue often leads to donor-site morbidity. Here, we show that intraspecies and interspecies chimaeric pig embryos lacking native skeletal muscle can be produced by deleting the MYF5, MYOD and MYF6 genes in the embryos via CRISPR, followed by somatic-cell nuclear transfer and the delivery of exogenous cells (porcine blastomeres or human induced pluripotent stem cells) via blastocyst complementation. The generated intraspecies chimaeras were viable and displayed normal histology, morphology and function. Human:pig chimaeras generated with TP53-null human induced pluripotent stem cells led to higher chimaerism efficiency, with embryos collected at embryonic days 20 and 27 containing humanized muscle, as confirmed by immunohistochemical and molecular analyses. Human:pig chimaeras may facilitate the production of exogenic organs for research and xenotransplantation.
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11
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Zheng C, Ballard EB, Wu J. The road to generating transplantable organs: from blastocyst complementation to interspecies chimeras. Development 2021; 148:dev195792. [PMID: 34132325 PMCID: PMC10656466 DOI: 10.1242/dev.195792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Growing human organs in animals sounds like something from the realm of science fiction, but it may one day become a reality through a technique known as interspecies blastocyst complementation. This technique, which was originally developed to study gene function in development, involves injecting donor pluripotent stem cells into an organogenesis-disabled host embryo, allowing the donor cells to compensate for missing organs or tissues. Although interspecies blastocyst complementation has been achieved between closely related species, such as mice and rats, the situation becomes much more difficult for species that are far apart on the evolutionary tree. This is presumably because of layers of xenogeneic barriers that are a result of divergent evolution. In this Review, we discuss the current status of blastocyst complementation approaches and, in light of recent progress, elaborate on the keys to success for interspecies blastocyst complementation and organ generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Canbin Zheng
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Microsurgery, Orthopaedic Trauma and Hand Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Emily B. Ballard
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Jun Wu
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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12
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Steevens AR, Griesbach MW, You Y, Dutton JR, Low WC, Santi PA. Generation of inner ear sensory neurons using blastocyst complementation in a Neurog1 +/--deficient mouse. Stem Cell Res Ther 2021; 12:122. [PMID: 33579352 PMCID: PMC7881691 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-021-02184-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
This research is the first to produce induced pluripotent stem cell-derived inner ear sensory neurons in the Neurog1+/− heterozygote mouse using blastocyst complementation. Additionally, this approach corrected non-sensory deficits associated with Neurog1 heterozygosity, indicating that complementation is specific to endogenous Neurog1 function. This work validates the use of blastocyst complementation as a tool to create novel insight into the function of developmental genes and highlights blastocyst complementation as a potential platform for generating chimeric inner ear cell types that can be transplanted into damaged inner ears to improve hearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleta R Steevens
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. .,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. .,Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | | | - Yun You
- Mouse Genetics Laboratory, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - James R Dutton
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Walter C Low
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.,Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Peter A Santi
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.,Department of Otolaryngology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To clarify the hurdles to generation of human islets via blastocyst complementation and to identify techniques to overcome them. RECENT FINDINGS Blastocyst complementation is a promising method for generating functional islets from pluripotent stem cells which are identical to in vivo islets. Studies have reported successful generation of mouse pancreas in rats and rat pancreas in mice via interspecies blastocyst complementation and have shown the possibility for generation of human organs in xenogeneic animals. However, there remain hurdles to generating human islets in animals. The major hurdles to generating human islets include difficulty in engineering human-animal chimeras due to the cellular status of human pluripotent stem cells, immunological rejection of donor tissue in xenogeneic animals, and ethical concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoyuki Yamaguchi
- Division of Stem Cell Therapy, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
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