Approaches to isolate porcine skeletal muscle stem and progenitor cells

The pig is an excellent biological model for the human supported by the anatomic similarities and the more comparable lifespan than, for instance, rodents. We explain protocols how to isolate muscle satellite cells and progenitor cells from porcine muscle tissue and to purify the side population (SP). Isolation of muscle satellite cells is based on stimulation of cell migration from muscle fibers. We describe how to purify for a specific cell population from this heterogeneous population based on Hoechst dye exclusion ability by the ABC-G2 transporter present on the SP. Furthermore, we discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each isolation method and provide lists of antibodies cross-reactive to porcine antigen epitopes for muscle stem cell characterization. Stem cells can be obtained from the pig muscle within 1 week.