Knock-out rat production and organ regeneration using embryonic stem cells

本研究的最终目标是利用多能胚胎干细胞（ESCs）和先进生殖技术（ART）生产可用于再生医学研究的基因修饰大鼠。在初步试验中成功培育出了表达kusabira-orange基因的大鼠，以及在Rosa26位点表达tdTomato基因敲入的大鼠。缺乏Pdx1基因的大鼠也通过类似的ART方案与ESCs（缺乏Pdx1基因的小鼠没有胰腺）产生，但这些大鼠没有表现出胰腺的任何表型损失。然而，通过将大鼠野生型多能干细胞（PSCs）注射到Pdx1/KO小鼠囊胚中，成功地在成年小鼠中再生了功能大鼠胰腺。

The ultimate objective of the present study is to produce gene-modified rats useful for regenerative medical research using pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and advanced reproductive technologies (ART). Rats expressing the kusabira-orange gene, as well as rats expressing the tdTomato gene knock-in at Rosa26 locus, were successfully produced in preliminary trials. Rats lacking Pdx1 gene were also produced by a similar ART protocol with ESCs (Pdx1-deficient mice have no pancreas), but these rats did not show any phenotypic loss of the pancreas. However, functional rat pancreas was successfully regenerated in adult mice by injecting rat wild-type pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) into Pdx1/KO mouse blastocysts.