Patent ID: 8709805

Claim:
A method of altering the differentiation state of a canine somatic cell to a less differentiated state, comprising: (a) transfecting the canine somatic cell with a retroviral vector comprising nucleic acids encoding each of Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc operably linked to a promoter, and (b) culturing the cell in a medium containing a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor, an activin receptor-like kinase inhibitor, a glycogen synthase kinase inhibitor, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, a basic fibroblast growth factor, and a leukemia inhibitory factor to provide a resultant canine cell, wherein the resultant canine cell (i) has an altered fate potential relative to the starting canine somatic cell, (ii) has a morphology similar to a canine ES cell, (iii) expresses Oct3/4, Sox2, Sall4, SSEA-4, TRA-1-60, and TRA-1-81 genes, (iv) is positive for alkaline phosphatase activity, (v) maintains normal karyotype, and (vi) has a potential to differentiate into a βIII-tubulin-expressing ectodermal cell, a FLK1-expressing mesodermal cell, and an α-fetoprotein-expressing endodermal cell.