[Frontiers in Bioscience 14, 3942-3961, January 1, 2009]

Porcine mesenchymal stem cells - Current technological status and future perspective

Gyu Jin Rho1 , B. Mohana Kumar1, S. Balasubramanian1, 2

1Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea, 2Department of Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Madras Veterinary College, Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai -600 007, India

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Porcine mesenchymal stem cells (pMSCs)
3.1. Sources
3.2. Isolation and primary culture
3.3. Expression of cell surface antigens
3.4. Long term in vitro culture
3.5. In vitro differentiation
3.5.1. Mesodermal lineages
3.5.2. Ectodermal lineages
3.5.3. Endodermal lineages
3.6. Preclinical therapeutic applications
3.6.1. Repair of myocardial tissues
3.6.2. Genetic modification and myocardial repair
3.6.3. Skin regeration
3.6.4. Transplantation of porcine umbilical matrix (pUCM) cells
3.6.5. Tissue engineering
3.7. Immunogenicity and immunomodulation features
3.8. Limitations to clinical applications
3.9. Generation of hybrid cells
4. Nuclear transfer (NT)
4.1. Factors influencing nuclear transfer
4.2. Current aspects of porcine nuclear transfer and competency of pMSCs as nuclear donors
5. Cryopreservation of pMSCs
6. Future prospects
7. Conclusion
8. Acknowledgments
9. References

1. ABSTRACT

Similarities of porcine mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs) with human counterpart allow them to be considered as a valuable model system for in vitro studies and preclinical assessments. Effective isolation and expansion of porcine MSCs from different origins, namely bone marrow, umbilical cord Wharton's jelly, amniotic fluid, umbilical cord blood and peripheral blood has been reported. The differentiation of porcine MSCs into mesenchymal lineages under in vitro conditions is consistent and growing evidence has also suggested their transdifferentiation abilities. Results of preclinical studies unveil a time dependent retention, engraftment, migration, ex vivo and in vivo differentiation characteristics and possibility for genetic modification of MSCs. Findings on immunogenicity and the immunomodulatory capacity of porcine MSCs are encouraging and valuable to understand the host compatibility following transplantation. Furthermore, suitability of porcine MSCs as donors in nuclear transfer offers a greater potential to medicine and biopharming. Here, we highlight recent findings in the areas of porcine MSC sources, differentiation ability, transplantation applications and their potential as nuclear donors for somatic cell nuclear transfer.