Research progress of stem cells in agricultural animals

Abstract

As an important biological technology, stem cell technology has been being widely used in the life sciences for a long time. There are three major ways to obtain stem cells with unlimited proliferation and differentiation capabilities, including 1) isolating embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from embryos, 2) isolating adult stem cells from adult tissues, and 3) in vitro reprogramming of differentiated somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In the field of agriculture, the efficient purification, culture and establishment of livestock and poultry stem cell lines are expected to significantly improve the efficiency of somatic cell cloning and genetic modification of cells. The technology of stem cell induced-gamete production will greatly simplify the generation process, and consequently improve the generation efficiency of genetically modified animals. In addition, by combining with gene editing, microinjection, stem cell transplantation, and embryo transfer, stem cell technology has great potential in the production of genetically modified animals, tissue and organ donors, in vitro induced gametes and genetically reconstructed embryos, in the screening of disease treatment targets, and in the research of new drug pharmacology, which is of great significance to the genetic improvement, disease prevention and treatment for agricultural animals. In this review, we summarize the current research progress of stem cells in agricultural animals, including pig (Sus scrofa), cattle (Bos taurus), chicken (Gallus gallus), goat (Capra hircus) and sheep (Ovis aries), to provide information for the studies in the field of stem cells in agricultural animals.