ExperimentalCellular studyGenetic Prevalence of Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus in Chinese Experimental Miniature Pigs

Pig-to-human xenotransplantation poses the potential risk of interspecies transmission of porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV). The Chinese experimental miniature pig may be used as a pig-to-human xenograft donor. However, data for the distribution of PERV provirus in genomic DNA and PERV expression at the RNA level for the Chinese experimental miniature pig population are lacking. In this study, PERV was investigated in this regard using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time quantitative PCR, and real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The results showed that the genotype distribution was PERV-A subtype 100%, PERV-B subtype 100%, and PERV-C subtype 30% among 20 pig genomic DNA samples. Both PERV copy number in genomic DNA and PERV expression at the RNA level varied significantly among individuals, ranging from 3.95 ± 0.14 to 95.52 ± 2.20 and 3.66 ± 0.13 to 43.03 ± 2.50, respectively. For some individuals, the PERV copy number (eg, 3.95 ± 0.14) in genomic DNA and PERV expression (eg, 3.66 ± 0.13) at the RNA level were low. These results suggested that the Chinese experimental miniature pig is a possible donor for xenotransplantation. Our results provide reference information for selective breeding, which will benefit the application of these animals for the study of xenotransplantation.