Immortalization of common marmoset-derived fibroblasts via expression of cell cycle regulators using the piggyBac transposon

Abstract

Common marmosets are non-human primate models used in biomedical research and genome editing technology. This study aimed to establish cell lines from common marmosets and evaluate their characteristics. We obtained normal fibroblasts derived from muscle tissues of two common marmosets and immortalized them with the introduction of a mutat form of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4^R24C), Cyclin D1, and telomere reverse transcriptase (TERT) using the piggyBac transposon. Compared to parental cells, the immortalized cell lines (named K4DT cells) showed telomerase activity and an accelerated cell proliferation rate. To our knowledge, this is the first study describing the successful establishment of immortalized common marmoset-derived fibroblasts using piggyBac transposition of CDK4^R24C, Cyclin D1, and TERT. Our generated cell lines might be a beneficial tool for future studies on disease modeling and targeted gene therapies.

Keywords: Common marmoset-derived cells; Established cell lines; Immortalization; Isolation of primary fibroblasts; piggyBac transposon.