Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

Published in

Nature Research, Scientific Reports, 1(7), 2017

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-09030-6

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Targeted insertion of an anti-CD2 monoclonal antibody transgene into the GGTA1 locus in pigs using FokI-dCas9

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Preprint: archiving allowed
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Postprint: archiving forbidden
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Published version: archiving allowed
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Abstract

AbstractXenotransplantation from pigs has been advocated as a solution to the perennial shortage of donated human organs and tissues. CRISPR/Cas9 has facilitated the silencing of genes in donor pigs that contribute to xenograft rejection. However, the generation of modified pigs using second-generation nucleases with much lower off-target mutation rates than Cas9, such as FokI-dCas9, has not been reported. Furthermore, there have been no reports on the use of CRISPR to knock protective transgenes into detrimental porcine genes. In this study, we used FokI-dCas9 with two guide RNAs to integrate a 7.1 kilobase pair transgene into exon 9 of the GGTA1 gene in porcine fetal fibroblasts. The modified cells lacked expression of the αGal xenoantigen, and secreted an anti-CD2 monoclonal antibody encoded by the transgene. PCR and sequencing revealed precise integration of the transgene into one allele of GGTA1, and a small deletion in the second allele. The cells were used for somatic cell nuclear transfer to generate healthy male knock-in piglets, which did not express αGal and which contained anti-CD2 in their serum. We have therefore developed a versatile high-fidelity system for knocking transgenes into the pig genome for xenotransplantation purposes.