Project description:Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) hold promise for generating personalized xenogenic organs via development of cross-species chimeric animals. However, whether human and other primate iPSCs are capable of establishing cross-species chimeras remains unknown. Recognizing the ethical concerns of cross-species chimerism using human iPSCs, we explored the capacity for cross-species chimerism between distinct, non-human primates. Injection of either pig-tailed macaque iPSCs or chimpanzee iPSCs into the rhesus macaque blastocyst embryos demonstrated that these cells survive, proliferate, and integrate near the rhesus inner cell mass (ICM). Ectopic expression of BCL2 in pig-tailed and chimpanzee iPSCs greatly improved the success rate of establishing cross-species blastocyst chimerism. This study represents the first successful cross-species blastocyst chimerism between distinct, non-human primate species, and highlights critical factors that may be necessary to unlock the broad potential of primate iPSCs to form cross-species chimeras, with diverse applications for basic research and translational medicine.
Project description:We used a nonhuman primate (NHP) model of ligature-induced periodontitis to identify gingival transcriptome changes associated with aging during the phases of periodontitis lesions (initiation, progression, and resolution). Four age groups of nonhuman primate were studied: Young (<3 years of age); Adolescent (3 to 7 years), Adult (12 to 15 years), and Aged (17-23 years)
Project description:Here, we use global metabolomics to differentiate temporal effects (1 – 60 d) found in nonhuman primate (NHP) urine small molecule signatures after a 4 Gy total body irradiation.
Project description:Inner cell mass (ICM) cells of two independent E3.5 blastocysts were profiled by transcriptome sequencing to assess the expression of extracellular matrix components.
Project description:The pig is important for agriculture and as an animal model in human and veterinary medicine, yet, despite over 20 years of effort, it has proved a difficult species from which to generate pluripotent stem cells analogous to those derived from mouse embryos. Here we report the production of LIF-dependent, so called naïve type, pluripotent stem cells from the inner cell mass of porcine blastocysts by up-regulating expression of KLF4 and POU5F1. These cells resemble mouse ES cells and are distinct from the FGF2-dependent, induced pluripotent cell type derived from porcine somatic cells. High throughput SNP chip genotyping was conducted on Illumina's Porcine SNP60 BeadChip (WG-410, a service provided by Geneseek, NE, http://www.neogen.com/GeneSeek/). The results exhibited that the two lines pluripotent stem cells from the inner cell mass of porcine blastocysts were porcine origin and genetically distinct. Porcine pluripotent stem cells were derived from the inner cell mass with transduction with human KLF4 by lentiviral transduction.
Project description:The aim of this study was to characterize the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of nonhuman primate trabecular bone samples (n=58), identify how they relate to aspects of femur bone morphology, and assess how these epigenetic patterns vary between taxa. The Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC array was used to assess genome-wide methylation patterns.
Project description:Little is known about the repertoire of nonhuman primate kidney genes expressed throughout development. The present work establishes an understanding of the primate renal transcriptome at different stages of fetal development and defines the framework of gene expression in the context of renal maturation, which provides a basis for identifying deviations in transcriptome expression resulting from suboptimal conditions during renal development. The baboon kidney transcriptome was characterized at 60 days gestation (DG), 90DG, 125DG, 160DG and adulthood (6-12 years) using human genome arrays to identify differential gene expression in the context of biological pathways and hierarchical clusters. Whole genome expression profiling showed 11,331 genes that were expressed during kidney development, 4,698 of which were differentially expressed among the developmental time points. Pathway analysis indicated activation of annotated pathways previously reported to be important to kidney development and pathways not reported as relevant to kidney development. QRT-PCR for genes central to these pathways validated expression profiles and revealed differences between males and females at specific times in gestation. Hierarchical clustering indicated that two clusters best fit the data, one containing genes that increased in expression from 60DG to adult and one that decreased. Cluster analysis also revealed gene splice variants with discordant expression profiles during development. For example, SMAD4, which is central to Wnt signaling, TGF-β signaling and cell cycle, showed up-regulation of the full-length splice variant during development and down-regulation of a shorter variant that is missing DNA binding and protein heterotrimerization domains suggesting decreased inhibition of cell proliferation, which may impact renal cell number and maturation. This study provides the first detailed genetic analysis of the developing primate kidney, and our findings of discordant expression of gene splice variants suggest that gene arrays likely provide a simplified view and demonstrate the need to study the fetal renal proteome.