sinclair
Animal Models
MHC Defined Lineages for Transplantation
Resource herds of swine leukocyte antigen (SLA)-characterized miniature pigs are an important tool for the
study of immune responses and disease resistance. Miniature swine are valuable animal models for biomedical
research, such as transplantation. SLA typing is important for use of these models in xenotransplantation research.
The Yucatan breed of miniature pig is a significant breed for biomedical research that is available from both, our
Missouri and Maine production facilities. Dr. Douglas Smith of the University of Michigan has characterized the SLA
polymorphism of the Yucatan breeding stock in the Sinclair Research Center (SRC) herd maintained in Missouri.
Scientists can obtain Yucatan miniature swine of the same or different haplotypes. SRC maintains frozen earpunch tissue of piglets for further MHC/SLA typing, as required by client needs. SLA typing is a valuable tool for the
characterization of SLA alleles and haplotypes in resource herds of pigs. Click Here for additional information on the
typing procedure. Please contact us to discuss your special needs.
Reference
Dr. Douglas M. Smith et al., DNA sequence based typing of swine lecocyte antigens in Yucatan Miniature Pigs,
Xenotransplantation 2005:12, 481-488:
Abstract:
Background: We have established a breeding program to develop additional lines of swine leukocyte antigens (SLA)
homozygous miniature pigs derived from the Yucatan Miniature Pig. Yucatan pigs have been used extensively
in biomedical research since the 1970s and are known for their docile nature and small size. The breed has no
consanguinity with the Hormel or Pittman-Moore breeds used to produce the NIH Miniature Pigs, the only other SLA
homozygous miniature pigs in the USA.
Methods: SLA typing was initially done by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Then a cDNA library was
constructed using spleen cells from these pigs. from which we cloned and sequenced nearly all alleles for the SLA-1,
3, 2, 6, DRB1, DQA and DQB1 loci.
Results: Four SLA homozygous lines were established with haplotypes that we have designated ‘w, x, y and z’. An
SLA class I/II crossover haplotype, designated ‘q’, with the SLA class I alleles of ‘w’ and the SLA class II alleles of ‘z’
was discovered and used to establish a fifth line. The cDNA sequences were used to develop locus specific primers
for each locus and an reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction sequence based typing (SBT) method. We
have used this method to perform SBT on SLA homozygous Yucatan pigs with these haplotypes and on the NIH pig
‘a, c and d’ haplotypes.
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Conclusions: These pig lines represent a new resource for transplantation research and the methods we describe
can be used to SLA type any herd of pigs.
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