Reprogramming of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fibroblasts into induced pluripotency cells

• Grant number: 23/16931-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): May 01, 2024
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Fabiana Fernandes Bressan
• Grantee: Fabiana de Andrade Farias
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Induced pluripotency cells (iPSC) have the ability to differentiate into cells of the three layers, constituting a wide variety of tissues. The ability of these cells to differentiate allows their use in different sectors of the economy, such as regenerative medicine, in the protection of endangered species and in vitro meat production. Therefore, the differentiation of induced pluripotent cells (iPSCs) from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), which is one of the most cultivated fish in Brazil and the world, becomes important for the food industrial sector due to its great potential for economic impact on the fish farming sector. Thus, due to the environmental impacts caused by the fishing sector, the industrial production of in vitro fish meat - when compared to the current model of fish production - can constitute a cleaner production method, avoiding the generation of environmental impact caused by production. of fish, whether in captivity or through predatory fishing. In this sense, the main focus of this work is to reprogram iPSCs from tilapia fibroblasts, performing morphological characterization, gene and protein expression during the different phases of cultivation. With this, it is expected to obtain pluripotent cells that have the ability to differentiate into other types of cells and be used for the production of in vitro tilapia meat. With the results obtained, it is also expected that the protocols used and tested during this work will provide new studies in the area, contributing directly or indirectly to the areas of animal production, with a focus on fish farming, contributing to the production of fish with lower environmental impacts and helping to preserve species at risk of extinction due to excessive fishing and/or due to environmental changes caused by the economic production of the sector.