Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines on the Farm: Naïve-State Pluripotency, Germline Chimerism, and Nuclear Transfer Cloning

Summary In this review article, we first provide an overview of research on pluripotent stem cells in livestock species, specifically rabbits, cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats. We discuss the two major families of pluripotent stem cells: ESC-like cells derived from pre-implantation embryos and iPSCs generated by reprogramming somatic cells. We then critically examine the pluripotency states of these cell lines, including primed, naïve, and extended potential pluripotency. In the second section, we address the strengths and limitations of these different pluripotent stem cell lines across livestock species, with particular attention to their ability to capture the naïve state, form chimeric individuals, and produce cloned individuals following transfer into embryos or enucleated oocytes. Lastly, we propose several strategies to enhance cell quality for biotechnological applications, with a focus on epigenome regulation.