Canine fibroblasts expressing human transcription factors: what is in the route for the production of canine induced pluripotent stem cells.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to further clarify the mechanisms involved in inducing pluripotency using canine foetal fibroblast cells. The two pluripotency-related transcription factors, OCT4 and SOX2, coupled to a fluorescent reporter gene were transduced, individually or in combination, using a lentiviral system. Stable transgenic cell lineages were obtained and canine cells showed to be highly responsive to the integration and expression of human SOX2 and OCT4, also depending on the amount of virus used for incubation. Such positive results are essential for the establishment of pluripotency induction through the incorporation of known transcription factors into the genome of somatic cells.