책임운영기관 농촌진흥청 국립축산과학원 (로고)

Pigs are widely considered donor animals for xenotransplantation to solve the critical issue of human donor organ shortage. However, the risk of zoonosis needs to be overcome during xenotransplantation. Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV) that are integrated into the pig genome include the subtypes (PERV-A, -B, and –A/C recombinants). These subtypes are capable of infecting human and non-human primate (NHP) cells in vitro. Therefore, this preclinical study investigates the transmission of PERV from the cornea obtained from a transgenic pig donor to a monkey. Blood samples were obtained from the anterior lamella-grafted (n = 5) and full-thickness cornea-grafted (n = 2) cynomolgus monkeys. RNA and genomic DNA were analyzed from blood samples using PCR applying PERV-specific primers. Our results revealed no PERV transmission in any of the pig-to-nonhuman primate corneal xenotransplantation cases. Notably, at postoperative day 1,308, neither transmission nor presence of PERV was detected in the samples collected periodically from the recipients. Therefore, this study provides evidence for long-term survival in the absence of PERV transmission in pig-to-NHP corneal transplantation.