2010 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) To create bovine iPSCs for dairy cattle. The long term goal is to use iPSCs to improve the efficiency of cattle cloning. To provide a permanent source of a “clonable cell type”, and to create genetically modified cattle including gene targeting through site-directed genetic modifications. 3.Progress Report The common goal of scientists at UCONN and ARS is to develop bovine induced pluripotent stem cells lacking any iPS cell-specific genetic modifications with the ultimate goal to produce genetically engineered livestock to allow hypothesis driven research in the study of bovine functional genomics. Together, the two groups of scientists will combine their expertise and resources for the development of cattle with unique genetic traits. The ARS has cultured fetal bovine tissues and transfected them with appropriate lentiviral vectors expressing human factors known to induce iPS cell formation in numerous species. Candidate iPS cell clones (colonies) are expected to be visible within 30 days. In an effort to remove the undesirable retroviral sequences from the final iPS cells produced, UCONN has developed protein factors that generate murine iPS cells and can replace some retroviral vectors expressing these factors. Progress on this project has been monitored through a series of conference calls, project meetings as well as email communication.