Purification and transplantation of spermatogial stem cells in pig

• Project/Area Number: 25871106
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Animal production science; Integrative animal science
• Research Institution: National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Sembon Shoichiro 国立研究開発法人農業生物資源研究所, 医用モデルブタ研究開発ユニット, 主任研究員 (60372661)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
• Keywords: ブタ / 精子幹細胞 / 精巣 / 精子形成 / busulfan

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Since the successful production of cloned pigs in 2000, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has been applied to a variety of biomedical researches including xenotransplantation, tissue engineering and animal disease models. While the use of the SCNT technique has increased, however, cloning efficiency is still considered to be fairly low. Instead, a genetically-modified technology using a spermatogonial stem cells is devised in mice. This project has been started for applying the technology to a domestic animal. In this project, a biomarker specific to porcine spermatogonial stem cells have been identified. Then we tried to develop the methods for isolation and purification of porcine spermatogonial stem cells using the specific markers.