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Does PERV transmit to recipient’s spouse and their offspring?

Wei Wang¹, Xiaowei Xing¹, Qiong Dong¹, Wayne J Hawthorne², Shounan Yi²

¹Institute for Cell Transplantation and Gene Therapy, The Third Xiangya Hospital Central -South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; ²Center for Transplant and Renal Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Background: Pig is regarded as the most suitable unlimited source of donor pancreas or islet. However, the risk of potential cross species infectious agent such as porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV) is still a critical concern. It is still unclear that whether PERV transmit to recipient’s spouse and offspring.

Methods: Liver tissues samples were collected from 15 neonatal Landrace pigs. PERV env-A, env-B, env-C and porcine mitochondrial (mt) DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) were amplified to investigate the subtypes of PERV. Neonatal pig islets (NPIs) were isolated from the individuals who carried three subtypes of PERV (PERV-A, -B and -C) and transplanted into non-obese diabetic severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. Four to eight weeks later, the transplanted SCID mice allow to mating with transplanted or normal SCID mice as following: group A (5 male transplanted SCID mice mated with 5 female transplanted SCID mice), group B (5 male transplanted SCID mice mated with 5 normal female SCID mice), group C (5 normal male SCID mice mated with 5 female transplanted SCID mice), group D (5 normal male SCID mice mated with 5 normal female SCID mice). PERV proviral DNA and porcine mitochondrial (mt) DNA COII were amplified by PCR in recipients, recipient’s spouse and their offspring. RT-PCR was performed to detect the expression of PERV in recipient’s spouse and their offspring.

Results: Investigation of PERV in donor pigs, the result revealed that Three subtypes of PERV (PERV-A, -B and -C) were detected in 12 individuals while PERV-C was absent in other three individuals. NPIs were obtained from individuals who carried three subtypes of PERV (PERV-A, -B and -C) and transplanted into SCID mice. Four to eight weeks later, PERV pol and COII were detected in 75%(15/20) transplanted SCID mice. Mating transplanted SCID mice with transplanted or normal SCID mice, no PERV and porcine mitochondrial (mt) DNA was detected in recipient’s spouse and offspring either by PCR or by RT-PCR.

Conclusions: Our data suggested that there is no evidence of PERV transmission in recipient’s spouse and offspring after xenotransplantation of Landrace NPIs.