Reprogramming Porcine Fibroblast to EPSCs

The development of porcine expanded potential stem cells (pEPSCs) provides an invaluable tool for investigation of porcine stem cell pluripotency and opens a venue for research in biotechnology, agriculture, and regenerative medicine. Since the derivation of pEPSC from porcine pre-implantation embryos has been demanding in resource supply and technical challenges, it is more feasible and convenient for most laboratories to derive this new type of porcine stem cells by reprogramming somatic cells. In this chapter, we describe the detailed procedures for reprogramming porcine fetal fibroblast cells to EPSC with the eight reprogramming factors cloned on the piggyBac vectors followed by a selection for pluripotent cells independent of transgene expression using the EPSC media. This technique allows the generation of pEPSCs for stem cell research, genome editing, biotechnology, and agriculture.