Development of transgenic minipigs with expression of antimorphic human cryptochrome 1

PLoS One. 2013 Oct 16;8(10):e76098. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076098. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Minipigs have become important biomedical models for human ailments due to similarities in organ anatomy, physiology, and circadian rhythms relative to humans. The homeostasis of circadian rhythms in both central and peripheral tissues is pivotal for numerous biological processes. Hence, biological rhythm disorders may contribute to the onset of cancers and metabolic disorders including obesity and type II diabetes, amongst others. A tight regulation of circadian clock effectors ensures a rhythmic expression profile of output genes which, depending on cell type, constitute about 3-20% of the transcribed mammalian genome. Central to this system is the negative regulator protein Cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) of which the dysfunction or absence has been linked to the pathogenesis of rhythm disorders. In this study, we generated transgenic Bama-minipigs featuring expression of the Cys414-Ala antimorphic human Cryptochrome 1 mutant (hCRY1(AP)). Using transgenic donor fibroblasts as nuclear donors, the method of handmade cloning (HMC) was used to produce reconstructed embryos, subsequently transferred to surrogate sows. A total of 23 viable piglets were delivered. All were transgenic and seemingly healthy. However, two pigs with high transgene expression succumbed during the first two months. Molecular analyzes in epidermal fibroblasts demonstrated disturbances to the expression profile of core circadian clock genes and elevated expression of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α, known to be risk factors in cancer and metabolic disorders.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Substitution
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified / embryology
  • Animals, Genetically Modified / genetics*
  • Animals, Genetically Modified / growth & development
  • Circadian Clocks / genetics*
  • Circadian Rhythm / genetics*
  • Cloning, Organism*
  • Cryptochromes / genetics*
  • Cryptochromes / metabolism
  • Female
  • Fibroblasts / cytology
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Gene Expression
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-6 / genetics
  • Interleukin-6 / metabolism
  • Mutation
  • Periodicity
  • Swine
  • Swine, Miniature / embryology
  • Swine, Miniature / genetics*
  • Swine, Miniature / growth & development
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / genetics
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / metabolism

Substances

  • CRY1 protein, human
  • Cryptochromes
  • Interleukin-6
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Grants and funding

This work was supported by research grants from ShenZhen Engineering Laboratory for Genomics-Assisted Animal Breeding in Shenzhen, China and the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program 2011CB944201). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.