Effects of small‐molecule compounds on fibroblast properties in golden snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana)

Background Golden snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) is an endangered primate species, whose molecular material for conservation purposes has not yet been maintained. Although small‐molecule compounds (SMCs) have been reported to improve induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), their efficiency in the interspecies‐transferred nucleus is still unknown. Methods We thus used the fibroblasts from the golden snub‐nosed monkey treated with SMC as donor cells, injected into the enucleated oocytes of goats, to test such efficiency. Gene expression profiles in the cell‐constructed embryos with and without SMCs were compared by qPCR. Results The results show that cell morphology undergoes remarkable changes (volume is smaller than normal cells, and many black spots in the cytoplasm were found); pluripotent genes (Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog) significantly increased with SMC treatment. Conclusions This study demonstrates that SMCs alter the properties of donor cells and promote the expression of pluripotent genes in hybrid embryos.