Piedrahita, Jorge
Professor of Genomics
Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences

E-mail: jorge_piedrahita@ncsu.edu










Current Research:

The laboratory is primarily interested in the development of transgenic animals of use in human and veterinary medicine, and in agriculture. Towards this end, we combine techniques in functional genomics, cell biology, and embryo manipulation. Of particular interest is the development of technology that allows the precise genetic modification of domestic animals such as pigs and cattle. Development of this technology will allow the generation of pigs than can by used as human organ donors, of bioreactor cattle that can generate large amounts of pharmaceutical in their milk, , and of animals resistant to specific viral diseases. Presently, our research is focused on: a) The development of porcine models of human disease by cloning and transgenesis. b) Understanding the nuclear reprogramming (cloning) process in cattle and swine. c) Comparative analysis of imprinting in mammals.

Representative Publications:

Piedrahita JA , Zhang SH, Hagaman JR, Clark PM, and Maeda N. 1992. Generation of mice carrying a mutant apolipoprotein E gene inactivated by gene targeting in mouse embryonic stem cells. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:4471-4475.

Piedrahita JA , Gillespie L, and Maeda N. 1992. Production of chimeric hamsters by aggregation of eight-cell embryos. Biology of Reproduction 47:347-354.

Zhang SH, Reddick RL, Piedrahita JA, and Maeda N. 1992. Spontaneous hypercholesterolemia and arterial lesions in mice lacking apolipoprotein E. Science 258:468-471.

Rucker E, and Piedrahita JA. 1997. Cre-mediated site-directed insertions at the mouse whey acidic protein (mWAP) locus. Mol. Repr. Devel. 48: 324-331.

Vazquez JC, Nogues C, Rucker E, and Piedrahita JA. 1998. Factors affecting the efficiency of introducing small mutation in specific genes by homologous recombination; Cre-loxP versus the tag-and-exchange. Transgenic Research 7, 181-193.

Piedrahita JA , Oetama B, Bennett G, Waes JV, Lacey SW, Kamen B, Richardson J, Lark R, and Finnell R. 1999. Inactivation of the folate binding protein genes disrupts neural tube closure. Nature Genetics, 23:228-232.

Piedrahita JA , Moore K, Oetama B, Lee C-K, Scales N, Ramsoondar J, Bazer F, and Ott T. 1998. Generation of transgenic porcine chimeras using primordial germ cell (PGC)-derived colonies. Biol. Reprod. 58, 1321-1329.

Ramsoondar JJ, Christopherson RJ, Guilbert LJ, Dixon WT, Ghahary A, Ellis S, Wegmann TG, Piedrahita JA. 1999. Regulated Expression of MHC class I molecules in the porcine embryo. Biol. Reprod. 60:387-397.

Lee C-K, Weaks R, Johnson G, Bazer F , and Piedrahita, JA 2000. Effects of protease inhibitors and antioxidants on in vitro survival of porcine primordial germ cells. Biol. Reprod. 63:887-897.

Lee C-K, and Piedrahita JA. 2000. Effects of growth factors and feeder cells on porcine primordial germ cells in vitro. Cloning. 2:197-206.

Westhusin M, and Piedrahita JA. 2000. Three little pigs worth the huff and puff?. Nature Biotechnol. 18:1144-1145.

Piedrahita JA . 2000. Gene targeting in domestic species: A new beginning. Transgenic Res. 9:261-262.

Piedrahita JA , Wells DN, Miller AL, Oliver JE , Berg MC , Peterson AJ, Tervit RH. 2002. Effects of Follicular Size of Cytoplast Donor on the Efficiency of Cloning in Cattle. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 61:317-326.

Lee CK, Piedrahita JA. 2002. Inhibition of apoptosis in serum starved porcine embryonic fibroblasts. Mol. Reprod. Devel. 62:106-112.

Walker SC, Shin TY, Zaunbrecher GM, Romano JE, Johnson, GA, Bazer, FW and Piedrahita JA. 2002. A Highly Efficient Method for Porcine Cloning by Nuclear Transfer Using In Vitro-Matured Oocytes. Cloning Stem Cells 4:105-112.

Archer G, Friend, T, Piedrahita JA, Neville C, Walker SC. 2003. Behavioral Variation in Cloned Pigs. Applied Animal Behavior 2012:1-11.

Kim H-T, Song I-Y, Piedrahita JA . 2003. Kidney-specific activity of bovine uromodulin promoter in transgenic mice. Transgenic Research 12:191-201.

Mir B, Tanner N, Chowdhary BP, Piedrahita JA. 2003. UP1 Extends Life of Primary Porcine FetalFibroblasts in Culture. Cloning and Stem Cells 5: 143-148.

Archer GS, Dindot S, Friend TH, Walker S, Zaunbrecher G, Lawhorn B, Piedrahita JA. 2003. Hierarchical Phenotypic and Epigenetic Variation in Cloned Swine. Biol. Reprod. 69:430-436.

Thomson J, Rucker E, and Piedrahita JA . 2003. Mutational analysis of loxP sites for efficient cre-mediated insertion into genomic DNA. Genesis 36:162-167.

Piedrahita JA, Mir B, Dindot S, and Walker S. 2004. Somatic cell cloning: The ultimate form of nuclear reprogramming?. J Amer. Soc. Nephrol. 15:1140-1144.

Farin C, Farin PW, and Piedrahita JA . 2004. Development of fetuses from in vitro produced and cloned bovine embryos. J. Animal Sc. 82:53-62

Dindot S, Farin C, Farin P, Miles J, Walker S, Long C, and Piedrahita JA . 2004. Epigenetic and genomic imprinting analysis in nuclear transfer derived Bos gaurus/Bos taurus hybrid fetuses. Biol. Reprod. 71:470-478.

Mir B and Piedrahita JA . 2004. Nuclear localization signal and cell synchrony enhances homologous recombination in fetal fibroblasts. Nucleic Acid Res. 11:e25-e28.

Piedrahita JA and Mir B. 2004. Cloning and Transgenesis in Mammals; Implications for Xenotransplantation. Am. J. Transpl. 6:43-50.

Benjamin CL, Jenster G, and Piedrahita JA. 2004. Use of artificial androgen receptor coactivators to alter myoblast proliferation. J. Steriod Bioch. Mol. Biol. 91:111-119..

Dindot S, Kent KC, Evers B, Loskutoff N, Womack J and Piedrahita JA. 2004. Conservation of genomic imprinting at the XIST, IGF2, and GTL2 loci in the bovine. Mammalian Genome 15:828-833.

Mir B, Zaunbrecher G, Archer GS, Friend T, and Piedrahita JA. 2005. Progeny of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) clones of phenotypically similar to non-cloned pigs. Cloning and Stem Cells. 7:119-125.

Tsai S, Cassady JP, Freking BA, Nonneman DJ, Rohrer GA, Piedrahita JA. 2006. Annotation of the Affymetrix porcine genome microarray. Anim Genet. 37:423-4.

Monteiro-Riviere N, Inman A, Hedgpeth V, Mosteller B, Piedrahita J. 2006. Dermatological effects of chronic exposure to 7,12-dimethylbenz[Ajanthracene(DMBA) or N-methyl-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) in swine. Cutan Ocul Toxicol 25:103-19.

Farin PW, Piedrahita JA, Farin CE. 2006. Errors in development of fetuses and placentas from in vitro-produced bovine embryos. Theriogenology 65:178-91.

Monteiro_Riviere N, Hedgepeth N, Inman A, Mosteller B, and Piedrahita JA. 2006. Dermatological effects of chronic exposure to 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) of n-methyl-n-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) in swine. J Cutanoeus Ocular Tox 25:103-119.

Tsai S, Cassady J, Freking D, Nonneman G. Rohrer G, Piedrahita JA. 2006. Annotation of Affymetrix Porcine genome Microarray Chip. Animal Genetics 37:423-424.

Tsai S, Mir B, Martin AC, Estrada JL, Bischoff SR, Hsieh WP, Cassady JP, Freking BA, Nonneman DJ, Rohrer GA, Piedrahita JA. 2006. Detection of transcriptional difference of porcine imprinted genes using different microarray platforms. BMC Genomics. 7:328-336.

Estrada J, Sommer J, Collins B, Mir B, Martin A, York A, Petters RM, and Piedrahita JA 2007. Swine generated by somatic cell nuclear transfer have increased incidence of intra uterine growth restriction (IUGR). Cloning and Stem Cells  9:229-236

Estrada J, Sommer J, Collins B, Mir B, Martin A, York A, Petters RM, Piedrahita JA. Swine generated by somatic cell nuclear transfer have increased incidence of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Cloning Stem Cells. 2007 Summer;9(2):229-36.

Dr. Piedrahita's lab personnel