Efficiency of transgene expression in bovine cells varies according to cell type and gene transfer method

• Published in: Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Pecuarias 2019-01, Vol.32 (1), p.34-42
• Main Authors: Curcio, Alinne G, Bressan, Fabiana F, Paes De Carvalho, Carla S, Quirino, Célia R, Meirelles, Flavio V, Dias, Angelo J B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: clonación; clonagem; cloning; epigenetics; epigenética; lentiviral transduction; lipofección; lipofection; lipofecção; nuclear reprogramming; reprogramación nuclear; reprogramação nuclear; transducción lentiviral; transdução lentiviral
• ISSN: 0120-0690; 2256-2958
• DOI: 10.17533/udea.rccp.v32n1a04

Background: Production of transgenic animals is still a low-efficiency biotechnology, and simple alternatives should be used to improve the rate of transgenic bovine production by nuclear transfer. One such alternative is selecting the appropriate donor cell type and transfection method. Objective: To investigate the effect of cell type (fetal or adult fibroblasts, and cumulus cells), and gene transfer method (lipofection and lentiviral transduction) on the incorporation, expression, and fluorescence intensity of transgene on bovine cells analyzed by flow cytometry. Methods: Fetal fibroblasts (FF), adult fibroblasts (AF), and cumulus cells (CC) were transfected using lipofection, or transduced using lentiviral particles produced with Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) expressing plasmids, and analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: Lentiviral transduction resulted in higher transgene expression rates for all cell types (FF: 88.8 ± 0.98; AF: 91.6 ± 2.96; CC: 60.7% ± 14.7) compared to lipofection (FF: 17.8 ± 2.82; AF: 10.66 ± 0.65; CC: 3.9% ± 1.97). Cumulus cells showed lower transgene expression rates than the other cell types. Regarding fluorescence intensity, there was no significant difference between lipofection and lentiviral transduction; in both treatments, higher fluorescence intensity was obtained when adult cells were used instead of fetal cells. Conclusion: Gene transfer efficiency varies according to cell type, and gene transfer method, with lentiviral transduction achieving higher transgene expression rate, and adult fibroblasts showing better transgene expression.Keywords: cloning, epigenetics, lipofection, lentiviral transduction, nuclear reprogramming.  Resumen Antecedentes: La producción de animalestransgénicossigue siendo una biotecnología de baja eficiencia, y se deberían utilizar alternativas sencillas para mejorar la tasa de producción de bovinos transgénicos mediante transferencia nuclear. Una de estas alternativas es la selección del tipo mas apropiado de célula donante y método de transferencia génica. Objetivo: Investigar el efecto del tipo celular (fibroblastos fetales o adultos, y celulas del cumulus), y el método de transferencia génica (lipofección y transducción lentiviral) en la incorporación, expresión génica, y la intensidad de fluorescencia del transgén en células bovinas analizadas por citometría de flujo. Métodos: Fibroblastos fetales (FF), fibroblastos adultos (AF), y células del cúmulo (CC) fueron transfectados a través de li