Compositions and methods for genetically modifying felines or feline cells are described. The compositions and methods are useful for knocking out all or a portion of a Fel d 1 gene from a feline genome. Feline cells and organisms in which all or a portion of the Fel d 1 gene is knocked out are also described. The compositions and methods may include reagents and procedures for CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genomic editing of Fel d 1.

The invention provides methods for reprogramming somatic cells to generate multipotent or pluripotent cells. Such methods are useful for a variety of purposes, including treating or preventing a medical condition in an individual. The invention further provides methods for identifying an agent that reprograms somatic cells to a less differentiated state.

The invention provides methods for reprogramming somatic cells to generate multipotent or pluripotent cells. Such methods are useful for a variety of purposes, including treating or preventing a medical condition in an individual. The invention further provides methods for identifying an agent that reprograms somatic cells to a less differentiated state.

Disclosed herein, are inducible immunodeficient animals and methods to make them by adding an IL2Rg/RAG2 rescue cassette (RG-reg) or an IL2Rg/RAG2/FAH rescue cassette (FRG-reg) to a line of IL2Rg/RAG2 knockout (RG-KO) or IL2Rg/RAG2/FAH knockout (FRG-KO) swine. The rescue cassette enables line breeding of immunocompetent (regRG-KO) or (regFRG-KO) swine for rapid propagation. The rescue cassette can be excised, specifically in germ cells of regRG-KO or regFRG-KO swine, such that offspring of animals do not possess the rescue cassette and are immunodeficient. The immunodeficient swine also provide host embryos having genetic ablations to provide a niche for organ complementation by human stem cells.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a gene knock-out canine with use of somatic cell cloning technology, in particular relates to a method for preparing a gene knock-out canine with use of somatic cell cloning technology using a fusion liquid of low osmotic pressure together with autologous embryo transplanting.

The present invention provides novel methods for improving the efficiency of artificial activation of unfertilized mammalian oocytes by reducing the intracellular concentration of Zn.sup.2+ in the oocyte. The methods of the invention may additionally comprise a preceding step of increasing the intracellular concentration of Ca.sup.2+ in the oocyte prior to reduction of the intracellular Zn.sup.2+ concentration. The invention further provides unfertilized oocytes activated by the disclosed methods and viable mammalian animals produced from unfertilized oocytes activated by the disclosed methods.

The present invention provides methods and compostions to improve the efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and the consequent production of nuclear transfer ESC (ntESC) and transgenic cells and/or non-human animals. More specifically, the present invention relates to the discovery that trimethylation of Histone H3-Lysine 9 (H3K9me3) in reprogramming resistant regions (RRRs) in the nuclear genetic material of donor somatic cells prevents efficient somatic cell nuclear reprogramming or SCNT. The present invention provide methods and compositions to decrease H3K9me3 in methods to improve efficacy of SCNT by exogenous or overexpression of the demethylase Kdm4 family and/or inhibiting methylation of H3K9me3 by inhibiting the histone methyltransferases Suv39h1 and/or Suv39h2.

Porcine animals, tissue and organs as well as cells and cell lines derived from such animals are provided that lack functional endogenous immunoglobulin loci and are deficient in immunoglobulin expression and B-cells. These animals are useful as model systems for research and for development of new pharmaceutical and biological agents. In addition, methods are provided to prepare such animals.

A method of modulating some or all copies of a gene in a cell is provided including introducing into a cell one or more ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequences that comprise a portion that is complementary to all or a portion of each of the one or more target nucleic acid sequences, and a nucleic acid sequence that encodes a Cas protein and maintaining the cells under conditions in which the Cas protein is expressed and the Cas protein binds and modulates the one or more target nucleic acid sequences in the cell.

Provided for the first time in the present invention is a method for preparing a non-human primate somatic cell cloned animal, which method specifically comprises the steps of: (i) providing a reconstructed egg, wherein the egg comes from the non-human primate (ii) activating the reconstructed egg to form an activated reconstructed egg or activated reconstructed embryo formed by the reconstructed egg; (iii) reprogramming (a) the activated reconstructed egg or (b) embryonic cells of the activated reconstructed embryo to obtain a reprogrammed reconstructed egg or reprogrammed reconstructed embryo; and (iv) regenerating the reprogrammed reconstructed egg or reprogrammed reconstructed embryo to obtain the non-human primate somatic cell cloned animal. The method of the present invention can significantly improve the developmental capacity of nucleus-transplanted embryos in non-human primates (such as monkeys).