Generation by somatic cell nuclear transfer of GGTA1 knockout pigs expressing soluble human TNFRI-Fc and human HO-1

Herein, we successfully generated transgenic pigs expressing both soluble human tumor necrosis factor receptor I IgG 1 -Fc (shTNFRI-Fc) and human hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged-human heme oxygenase-1 (hHO-1) without Gal epitope. Healthy cloned pigs were produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) using the genetically modified cells. The genetic disruption of the GGTA1 genes and absence of expression of BS-IB4 lectin in tail-derived fibroblast of the SCNT-generated piglets were successfully confirmed. The expression of shTNFRI-Fc and HAhHO-1 was fully identified with protective effect against oxidative stress and apoptosis stimulation. Antibody-mediated complement-dependent cytotoxicity assay for examining the immuno-reactivity of transgenically derived pig cells showed that pigs lacking GGTA1 with the expression of double genes reduce the humoral barrier to xenotransplantation, more than pigs simply expressing double genes and the wild type. Through this approach, rapid production of a pig strain deficient in various genes may be expected to be applicable for xenotransplantation research without extensive breeding protocols.