Production of mice using iPS cells and tetraploid complementation

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are considered to be an attractive alternative to embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and may provide great potential for clinical applications in regenerative medicine. Although possessing characteristics similar to ESCs, the true pluripotency of these newly studied iPSCs was not known because none of the previously developed iPSCs passed the tetraploid complementation assay, which is regarded as the most stringent test for pluripotency. We have recently shown that by modifying some of the culture conditions for inducing iPSCs, we were able to generate cell lines of high pluripotency, resulting in the production of live-born, fertile animals through tetraploid complementation. In this paper, we describe details of our methods of generating iPS cell lines and subsequently producing full-term live animals through the tetraploid complementation assay; the procedure can be completed within 2 months.