Biotransplant, Inc.

Manfred Baetscher

Ruth A Kaplan

Gottfried Brem

Donna E Akiyoshi

Waan-Jeng Nir

This invention provides a method of using a porcine stem cell factor (PSCF), which may also be termed porcine &ldquo;steel&rdquo; factor, which is preferably membrane-bound PSCF on transfected murine STO feeder cells, for establishing pluripotent or totipotent porcine cell lines, especially for the culture of porcine primordial germ cells (PGCs).

Porcine totipotent cells and method for long-term culture

This invention relates to newly identified polynucleotides, polypeptides encoded by such polynucleotides, the use of such polynucleotides and polypeptides, as well as the production and isolation of such polynucleotides and polypeptides. More particularly, the polynucleotides and polypeptides of the present invention have been identified as porcine stem cell factors, and in particular membrane-bound porcine stem cell factors, and still more particularly as being involved in the culture of pluripotent or totipotent porcine cells.

Porcine stem cell factor varients and recombinant cells expressing such polypeptides

The present invention provides for a method of isolating and/or propagating porcine stem cells, more specifically pluripotential porcine embryonic stem cells. The pluripotential cells are isolated and/or propagated by the use of a selectable marker gene which is inserted into the genetic material of the cells, and which permits the survival and growth of the porcine embryonic stem cells. The selectable marker gene is inserted so as to be regulated by a control or promoter polynucleotide sequence in the embryonic stem cells, for example the promoter polynucleotide sequence being the porcine Oct-4 promoter sequence of the present invention. The invention also provides for a transgenic pig which will constitute a source of the pluripotent cells.

Porcine Oct-4 promoter

A gene trap construct for identification of genes whose activity is regulated upon a cellular transition event which comprises in downstream sequence (i) a cassette having a functional splice acceptor, a translation stop sequence and an internal ribosome entry site and (ii) a promoterless protein coding sequence encoding at least one polypeptide providing positive and negative selection traits. A method for identification of genes whose activity is regulated upon a cellular transition event by introducing the gene trap construct into a cell and observing expression of the positive and/or negative selection traits before and after the transition event.

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Manfred Baetscher