Induced pluripotent stem cells of endangered avian species

• Published in: Communications biology Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 1049
• Main Authors: Katayama, Masafumi, Fukuda, Tomokazu, Kaneko, Takehito, Nakagawa, Yuki, Tajima, Atsushi, Naito, Mitsuru, Ohmaki, Hitomi, Endo, Daiji, Asano, Makoto, Nagamine, Takashi, Nakaya, Yumiko, Saito, Keisuke, Watanabe, Yukiko, Tani, Tetsuya, Inoue-Murayama, Miho, Nakajima, Nobuyoshi, Onuma, Manabu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 24-10-2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 13; 13/100; 38; 38/39; 38/77; 631/158/672; 631/532; 631/601; Animals; Biology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; c-Myc protein; Cell Differentiation - genetics; Cellular Reprogramming; Chick Embryo; Chimeras; Conservation; Embryos; Endangered Species; Genetic resources; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells; KLF4 protein; Krueppel-like factor; Life Sciences; Myc protein; Pluripotency; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Transcription Factors - genetics; Japan; Okinawa
• ISSN: 2399-3642; 2399-3642
• DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03964-y

The number of endangered avian-related species increase in Japan recently. The application of new technologies, such as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), may contribute to the recovery of the decreasing numbers of endangered animals and conservation of genetic resources. We established novel iPSCs from three endangered avian species (Okinawa rail, Japanese ptarmigan, and Blakiston’s fish owl) with seven reprogramming factors (
M3O
,
Sox2
,
Klf4
,
c-Myc
,
Nanog
,
Lin28
, and
Klf2
). The iPSCs are pluripotency markers and express pluripotency-related genes and differentiated into three germ layers in vivo and in vitro. These three endangered avian iPSCs displayed different cellular characteristics even though the same reprogramming factors use. Japanese ptarmigan-derived iPSCs have different biological characteristics from those observed in other avian-derived iPSCs. Japanese ptarmigan iPSCs contributed to chimeras part in chicken embryos. To the best of our knowledge, our findings provide the first evidence of the potential value of iPSCs as a resource for endangered avian species conservation.
iPSCs from three endangered avian species (including Okinawa rail, Japanese ptarmigan, and Blakiston’s fish owl) are developed and characterized as a potential resource for their conservation.